News

Flu numbers in Mississippi remain high and the Mississippi State Department of Health wants you to know you can get tested and treated at your local county health department. Statewide, the latest surveillance numbers show a 7.9% rate of patients presenting at medical facilities with flu-like symptoms. That number is down from 9.1% the week…

A hazardous winter storm bringing heavy snowfall and sub-freezing temperatures will impact much of the state on Tuesday. Mississippi Department of Transportation crews will closely monitor weather conditions and highways and bridges and be ready to respond as the winter weather moves in. Motorists should remain cautious, especially on bridges and overpasses. Moderate and major…

The Mississippi Board of Animal Health (MBAH) has been notified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory that poultry from a commercial broiler chicken flock in Copiah County has tested positive for highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza. Samples from the flock were tested at the Mississippi Veterinary Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, part…

The Miss University of Southern Mississippi Scholarship Competition will take place at 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 16, in the Mannoni Performing Arts Center on the Hattiesburg campus. The event, presented by the USM Student Government Association, is free and open to the public. Eight contestants will vie for the crown; the winner will go on…

A burn ban has been approved by Copiah County supervisors. The ban was requested by regional forester Keith Beatty because of extremely-dry conditions in the county. Exemptions to the ban include the state forestry commission, certified burn managers, and commercial contractors. The countywide ban will remain in place until Nov. 22 and will be reconsidered…

The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) will soon begin a critical hydro-demolition project on the north and southbound I-55 bridges over the Pearl River in Jackson that will cause travel delays. “Over time, the high volume of traffic has caused these bridge decks to deteriorate. That is why once the Mississippi State Fair wraps up,…

On Saturday, Sept. 28, Pearl River Clean Sweep volunteers will join together in a massive, community-wide effort to clean up our waterways. This river cleanup event includes 25 land and water-based locations from the Pearl River’s headwaters near Philadelphia downriver through the Ross Barnett Reservoir, along the border of Mississippi and Louisiana, all the way…

A ceremony to rename a section of Highway 28 in memory of a long-time Copiah County business leader is set for 10 a.m., Sept. 25. Mississippi Transportation Commission Chairman Willie Simmons, Rep. Gregory Holloway Sr., Sen. Albert Butler, and Copiah County Board of Supervisors President Judson Jackson invite the community to a ceremony dedicating a…

Applications are now open for the fourth year of the Mississippi Health Ambassador program. Anyone who is passionate about public health is invited to apply. Ambassadors serve as a trusted voice for emerging health issues in the state. The program is a one-year commitment. Ambassadors will attend a Zoom call from noon to 1 p.m.…

As Hurricane Francine impacts the Mississippi Gulf Coast today, the Mississippi Department of Transportation advises motorists in south Mississippi to avoid travel during the storm and use extreme caution if travel is necessary. MDOT’s crews are prepared and stand ready to respond as soon as it is safe for them to do so. Francine’s landfall…