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2 months 4 weeks ago
Jail dockets for Forrest and Lamar counties are provided to the Pine Belt News as a public records service. Arrest records are current for the week prior to publication.
Hattiesburg Police:
Andrea Roachell Atterberry- probation violation
Kamaurion Jayteize Dillon- possession, sale, etc. of a stolen firearm (first offense)
Amanda Latrece Fairley- DUI (first offense)
Patrick D. Fairley- possession of marijuana in a motor vehicle
Senqtez Session Franklin- DUI (second offense), possession of a controlled substance (two counts), contempt of court (failure to appear)
By Staff reports on
2 months 4 weeks ago
Opinions of President Trump’s decision to capture the president of Venezuela and bring him to the United States to face drug charges will vary. Those who support the president will think he’s doing right for America, and those who oppose him will question the legality of the overnight military operation.
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2 months 4 weeks ago
Photo by Amanda D. Lee, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Thelma Knox (L) and Tiara Knox-Husband (R) take the initiative to lead a clean-up effort at Gillis Burkett Cemetery, their family’s final resting place.
Five cities. Two counties. This first week of 2026 The Pine Belt News looks back at some of the top events from 2025, including this story originally published November 3, 2025
Forrest County sisters honor family, veterans of the community
By Amanda D. Lee on
2 months 4 weeks ago
Several months ago, I wrote an article regarding the status of waterfowl populations across the country. Not to digress, but in a nutshell, the numbers overall have been in a downward trend for many years. Again, I won’t go into the reasons, but I will reemphasize some points in this article. Since we are in the last few weeks of the 2025-2026 waterfowl season, I thought it would be interesting to poll hunters in various regions across the state to get their thoughts on how the season is going thus far.
By Jeff North on
2 months 4 weeks ago
A recent Gallup poll found 85 percent of respondents disapprove of Congress’ work. Reports suggest about 90 percent of people think term limits will align Congresspersons’ incentives with the common good. They won’t.
In the 2024 general election, incumbents won reelection more than 90 percent of the time; it’s 100 percent in some election cycles. If elections were truly competitive, incumbents would not win at that rate. Freed from competition, legislators’ incentives to are not aligned with the public good.
By Patrick Taylor on
2 months 4 weeks ago
Apparently, the DC Santa Claus did NOT visit Linda Berry this year. All she got were clean MAGA lumps of coal along with $2.25 gas. So sad. Nor can anyone in DC make her happy (“Democrats Must Make Their Case,” Northside Sun, 12/12/25). Yet she believes the Democrats have the better solutions to govern if they would but take it on. That assumes that the Democrat leadership has ability to function like a normal political party. Nevertheless, she’s a real Democrat believer. In what, I would like to know.
By Robert Penny on
2 months 4 weeks ago
The Hattiesburg Stack, a newly commissioned painting by Mississippi artist Charlie Buckley, was unveiled on December 11, 2025, during a one-night-only event at Prospect on Main Gallery in downtown Hattiesburg. Commissioned by Abb and Jennifer Payne as a gift to the city they call home, the work is a Hattiesburg-specific edition of Buckley’s acclaimed Stacked Series, which explores the layered histories of Mississippi towns and cities.
By Staff reports on
2 months 4 weeks ago
As I write this on 1/4/26 most news reports state that the United States has carried out a flawless military mission early yesterday to arrest the Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in his home (aka fortress) in Caracas. Our military personnel forced their way into his house before Maduro could enter his steel walled safe room and arrested him and his wife before they could escape. The assault had been meticulously planned for months. No Americans were killed, and only one helicopter was hit but was able to continue flying. A total of about 150 aircraft were used.
By Peter Gilderson on
2 months 4 weeks ago
As renewable energy disparager President Donald Trump continues to prop up and promote coal and fossil fuel industries, Mississippi finds itself on a path to grow industries producing renewable energy alternatives to coal.
By Bill Crawford on
2 months 4 weeks ago
“Who you gonna’ believe? Me or your lying eyes.” Substitute Entergy’s spokesperson for Chico Marx, and you have the current gaslighting telling you don’t believe what you see happening in other states and what common sense tells you will happen here. Just trust Entergy not to raise electric rates for small customers to benefit Amazon’s data centers.
By Kelley Williams on
2 months 4 weeks ago
Every year has its challenges and this one is no different. On the opposite page, Jonathan Kettler writes about the start of 1949 and all the challenges faced that year. It provides a real sense of perspective.
The Sun is a community newspaper so we like to focus on local news but the decimation of local news by Big Tech has caused more focus on national and international news. It is human nature to focus on what’s there.
By Wyatt Emmerich on
2 months 4 weeks ago
Photo by Amanda D. Lee, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Deacon Felix Diaz blesses the baby box with holy water at Friday morning’s blessing and opening of Hattiesburg’s first baby box.
Five cities. Two counties. This first week of 2026 The Pine Belt News looks back at some of the top events from 2025, including this story originally published September 18, 2025
By Amanda D. Lee - Reporter on
2 months 4 weeks ago
Photo by Amanda D. Lee, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Five cities. Two counties. This first week of 2026 The Pine Belt News looks back at some of the top events from 2025, including this story originally published August 21
The Hattiesburg Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend historic landmark status for Alpine Snow, an iconic staple of Hattiesburg summer memories. With the recommendation from the Planning Commission, the matter will now be submitted to the city council for final approval.
By Amanda D. Lee on
2 months 4 weeks ago
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann used a speech to the Stennis Press Forum on Monday to declare the state in its strongest fiscal and educational position in memory, while urging lawmakers to build on recent gains with new spending on teachers, infrastructure, cybersecurity and rural services. Below is a summary of the talk produced by Perplexity AI followed by the entire transcript of Hosemann's talk.
Overview of themes
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2 months 4 weeks ago
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The William Crusaders clinched a decisive 99-84 victory over Dillard University on Monday night at Dent Hall, thanks to a strong finish in the first half.
"We had a lot of guys step up and make plays at the right moments throughout this game," said Assistant Coach Phillip McCray. "With the talent we have it's what we expect. Our energy was great, our toughness was great, and it resulted in beating a really good team in Dillard. Now it's time to move our focus to SSAC play."
By Kevin Rosiere on
2 months 4 weeks ago
The Pearl River men's basketball team battled to the final buzzer against a talented Shelton State squad but came up short, falling 78-71 in its first game back from winter break.
"We've got to clean up those plays that kill our momentum. We've got to figure out how to do a better job with that," head coach Chris Oney said. "The idea was for us to play our way back into shape this week, but that's a really good team.
By Dylan Dunaway on
2 months 4 weeks ago
The Pearl River women's basketball team pushed No. 11 Shelton State to the bring in its first game back from winter break, but fell in the hard-fought contest 62-49.
"We started flat, and it took us some time to get stops," head coach Shanae Govan-Williams said. "I was proud of our effort in the second half. We've just got to put four quarters together. If we do that — I don't care who we play — I like our chances. Hopefully, we can get hot in conference play and see Shelton State again.
By Dylan Dunaway on
2 months 4 weeks ago
NEW ORLEANS, La. – William Carey showed no signs of rust with a convincing 72-56 victory over Dillard University Monday Night.
By Kevin Rosiere on
3 months ago
Hospice care is often presented as a compassionate alternative to aggressive medicine—a gentler path that prioritizes comfort, dignity, and peace at the end of life. In theory, it is a humane model. In practice, hospice exists at the intersection of care and commerce, and that intersection deserves far more scrutiny than it receives.
By Cathy Eaker on
3 months ago
The Crusaders showcased a dominant first half and balanced scoring, securing a 91-71 victory against Talladega College on Saturday afternoon at Clinton Gym.
Assistant Coach Phillip McCray said after the game, "The guys were excited to be back in action after the holiday break. We could see it early in the game by how hard and fast they were playing. However, we had a slow start on the score board because we rushed a lot of shots. Our timing was a little off and we had a couple of slow possessions on offense."
By Kevin Rosiere on
