Author: Josh

Natchez Stew Pot seeks store‑bought potato salad, rolls, peas and desserts by March 30 to prepare Easter meals (April 5). Also: Gov. Landry backs $6 QR inspection stickers; 50,000 Mississippi voters flagged after Experian update; plastic‑crow prison smuggling foiled.

Mississippi lawmakers unanimously amended S.B. 2103 to boost teacher pay (a $5,000 raise for K‑12 teachers, additional increases for special‑education teachers and assistants) and ease Tier Five retirement rules; the bill returns to the Senate. In Louisiana, the 2026 legislative session opens with cost‑of‑living concerns at the forefront as debates resume over carbon capture, tort…

Construction is underway at Natchez‑Adams County Airport to convert a hangar into a passenger terminal ahead of United Express flights set to begin July 1 — the first regular commercial service in 30 years. The up-to-$6.8 million project is being fast‑tracked to finish in four months.

Central Louisiana advances four sites in the new Fast Sites Program, while the crawfish industry suffers from a temporary-worker visa cap and Mississippi teacher pay-raise bills stall; a lawmaker also proposes clearer rules for canceling trial subscriptions.

A DHS-supported cybersecurity review will be provided free to Adams County after recent ransomware disruptions. In Louisiana, a task force is examining how booming data centers shift power and water upgrade costs to ratepayers. Also: election dates, campaign-finance updates and river levels.

Adams County has a burn ban through March 16 amid extreme drought; Louisiana extends 120 National Guard troops in New Orleans, and a bill would let current medical marijuana sellers offer recreational products. Mississippi health officials warn of a spring allergy surge; the Mississippi River at Natchez‑Vidalia is 26 ft and rising.

UMMC clinics statewide resume normal operations after a cyberattack, Louisiana hits key LABI economic benchmarks ahead of schedule, and LSU is reinstating ACT/SAT requirements for applicants. A Natchez house fire is under investigation with no injuries reported.

Natchez aldermen have extended Horn Properties’ option for another year on a 30‑acre city-owned tract across from Natchez High School, giving the developer more time to pursue a retail center near Walmart while issues such as access from Sergeant Prentiss Drive are resolved.

Natchez Mayor probes steep property tax hikes and may seek an independent reappraisal; residents urged to appeal. Also: bigger Louisiana tax refunds, UMMC cancels appointments after a cyberattack, and a no‑burn order continues.

Concordia Parish is weighing a remodel of its 1970s courthouse amid facade, leak and heating concerns, though no decisions have been made. New state data show private auto rates down about 6% and commercial rates up about 6%; the United Cajun Navy has joined the search for Nancy Guthrie, Mississippi wildlife cadet applications are open…