The Mississippi Public Service Commission voted to establish the “Connect Mississippi Committee” at its monthly docket meeting on Tuesday.
National News
Kayla Sherman has been promoted to Deposit Services Officer at Community Bank in Laurel, announced Scott Pickering, Chief Executive Officer of Community Bank’s Pine Belt Region.
Rural broadband expansion and K-12 distance-learning initiatives will receive almost a fourth of the Coronavirus Relief Fund, under a package appropriated by the Mississippi Legislature. Mississippi received $1.25 billion in unallocated federal aid to soften the pandemic’s health and economi…
Koby Palmer has joined Community Bank’s Laurel office as loan officer, announced Scott Pickering, Chief Executive Officer of Community Bank’s Pine Belt Region.
The Mississippi State Treasury has returned $7 million in unclaimed property since Treasurer David McRae took office in January, he announced Tuesday. That amount includes $1.7 million that was distributed during the COVID-19 shutdown.
Dixie Electric is getting more than $44 million as part of a $1.6 billion investment by the United States Department of Agriculture to build or improve rural electric infrastructure in 21 states, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced.
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., introduced legislation that would help speed up deployment of broadband internet service to rural areas, his office announced Tuesday.
The Mississippi Transportation Commission has awarded emergency contracts for tornado debris removal along state highways and for maintenance projects across the Southern District.
The Business and Industry Political Education Committee (BIPEC) has selected Robin Robinson as best for business and jobs in the upcoming special election for the Mississippi House of Representatives. The special election in House District 88 (Jones County) is on June 23.
Residents urged to report poor cellphone, internet service
A local eatery that has been in Laurel for more than 35 years is closing as a result of COVID-19, the owner announced on Facebook.
Scott Cooley has joined Citizens Bank as vice president and loan officer at the bank’s Laurel branch, CEO Lee H. Fedric and Jones County Division President Douglas Neal announced.
Face masks, temperature-checks, social-distancing among changes
The Mississippi Main Street Association has developed the Opening Doors video library as a resource for small businesses in Mississippi that are coping with the economic fallout caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This was a special year for Leadership Jones County — the program celebrated its 30th year with an alumni class selected to participate in a program with sessions designed by the participants themselves.
C Spire will continue to offer double the high-speed data — up to an extra 25GB per month — free to eligible postpaid and prepaid wireless smartphone customers through Sept. 30 in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Ingalls Shipbuilding division will host a drive-in hiring event for job seekers from 9 a.m. until noon on Friday on Singing River Island.
John Rounsaville will lead the Mississippi Development Authority as interim director to continue growing the state’s economy and win business for Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves announced.
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson accepted a donation of medical face masks from Taiwan on behalf of the state.
Telesat has joined a group of tech firms led by Mississippi-based C Spire working to bridge the “digital divide” and help solve the rural broadband access and adoption problem.
Suez, which services the City of Laurel, is alerting businesses and homes that may have been closed for a month or more due to COVID-19 that a crucial part of reopening will be the flushing of their water pipes to ensure health and safety. According to the Environmental Science, Policy and R…
The Department of Employment Security has enough money in the immediate future to pay benefits owed to residents across the state and pay for additional staff to handle claims, Executive Director Jackie Turner reported to the Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee on Thursday.
C Spire is extending a waiver on late fees for consumer and business wireless customers through June 30 as part of its support of the FCC’s “Keep America Connected” program. The company will not terminate service or impose late fees for wireless customers who notify the company of an inabili…
Two local companies are handling two of the most anticipated road projects in Laurel this spring.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith on Tuesday identified U.S. Department of Agriculture programs that could help cattle producers, poultry growers, and private landowners who experienced losses from recent historic tornadoes and severe storms in Mississippi.
Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport’s carrier SkyWest will partner with United Airlines to provide the Pine Belt’s air service starting July 1. There will be two daily non-stop flights to Houston’s Bush Intercontinental Airport on a 50-passenger regional jet, said Tom Heanue, executive direc…
Houston will be the new destination for twice-daily flights from Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport starting on July 1 and tickets will go on sale through United Airlines starting today (Saturday) at united.com.
For Mississippi residents who have put off taking care of routine healthcare needs for fear of exposure to COVID-19, a new initiative launched by one of the nation’s largest urgent care providers may provide a solution.
Brent Quick has joined the Neel-Schaffer, Inc., and will serve as a construction project manager in the firm’s office in Laurel, according to a press release from the company.
C Spire is providing eligible smartphone unlimited plans with an extra 25GB of high-speed data free and doubling the high-speed data up to 50GB for customers on eligible prepaid plans through June 1 in response to the COVID-19 crisis, it was announced Sunday.
Six counties in the state have been declared as the primary natural disaster area. Producers in Jasper, Clarke, Lauderdale, Simpson, Attala and Yazoo counties who suffered physical damage and losses caused by tornadoes, excessive rainfall and flash flooding that occurred on Feb. 5 may be eli…
Editor’s note: This is the second part of a two-part series. Part 1 appeared in the March 10 Leader-Call.
By Hattiesburg Eye Clinic
One of the largest sectors of Jones County’s economy is manufacturing, just as manufacturing is one of the larger sectors of our state’s economy. Manufacturing in Mississippi accounts for 16.18 percent of total output and employs 12.54 percent (145,000) of our state’s workforce.
The Ellisville State School Direct Support Employee of the Month winners for January are, from left, Laura Wedgeworth of Hebron, Renet Cline of Hattiesburg, Pattie Jenkins of Toomsuba and Nicole White of Hattiesburg.
Two Laurel companies were awarded contracts for maintenance work at the Mississippi Transportation Commission’s Feb. 11 meeting. The Mississippi Department of Transportation will oversee the 17 projects, which will maintain and enhance transportation infrastructure of the state.
TEC announced recently that Joey F. Garner, executive vice president, has been selected as one of nine new members of the Mississippi Forum of the International Women’s Forum.
Representatives from Dollar General’s Human Resources and Store Operations teams are planning to host a career event in Laurel on Wednesday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Audubon Drive store in North Laurel.
Do you ever think about the food you eat? Do you realize that one of Jones County’s largest and most well-known companies is international in scope and sales and is headquartered right here in Laurel?
The Direct Support Employee of the Month winners for December were recently announced at Ellisville State School. Winners for the month were, from left, Tisha Philley of Ellisville, Martha McDaniel of Laurel, Kaneesha Flowers of Ellisville and Curtis Trotter of Heidelberg.
TEC is bringing fiber-optic internet to rural Jasper County by this spring, company officials said.
Jones County’s history is steeped in our natural resources, with timber as the earliest asset that took us on the road toward progress.
Hiring is part of $16.9 million upgrade to Laurel plant
A community is generally made up of good, hard-working, moral and honest people and businesses and organizations/institutions that employ those citizens.
Dixie Electric Power Association made a donation of several dozen new stuffed toys to Powers Fire & Rescue’ toy drive. Powers volunteer firefighters and emergency medical responders use the stuffed toys to give to children who are involved in emergency incidents. From left, Dixie Electri…
For the third time in four years, Southern Pipe & Supply has been selected to the “Top 100 Best Medium-Sized Companies to Work for in America” list by Fortune magazine. The Meridian-based company’s national honor comes on the heels of being recognized as “The Best Place to Work in Missis…
During the Mississippi Realtors annual convention in Biloxi, the Laurel Board of Realtors member Debbie West of RE/MAX Town & Country was honored by the association’s local board as its Realtors member Realtor of the Year. Local Board Realtor of the Year is awarded annually to the agent …
Sawyer Taylor of Laurel has been promoted to vice president at Community Bank in Laurel, said Scott Pickering, CEO for the bank’s Pine Belt region.
Chancellor, Inc. hosted an Ideal Electrical National Championship qualifying round in Laurel in September, when Timmy White accomplished the best time in the state by being the fastest using Ideal tools to complete various electrician tasks.
BancorpSouth presented members of Southern Civitan a check for $500 to assist the local civic club with its project of providing wheelchair swings for city parks in Laurel. A dedication of the first swing installed at the Laurel SportsPlex will be scheduled soon. “We are pleased to help with…
TEC, based in Bay Springs, aquired FailSafe Security from Fail Telecommunications Corporation effective Nov. 1. TEC will acquire all FailSafe Security assets and customer contracts, and the merged business will continue to operate under the TEC Security brand.