Joshua Wilson | HubCitySPOKES

Then: (Photo courtesy of the City of Hattiesburg) Forrest County Board of Supervisors President David Hogan, left, and Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker, right, sign local states of emergency declarations as the first cases of COVID-19 are diagnosed in Forrest County. Now: (File Photo) Vaccines that can curb the spread of the novel coronavirus are being swiftly injected into the arms of local residents at state-operated or private sites in both Forrest and Lamar counties. Nearly 285,000 Mississippians have been fully vaccinated.

A grim anniversary

By Joshua Wilson, 621 Reads

On March 11, 2020, Mississippi reported its first case of COVID-19, an acute and highly contagious respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus. The virus, originally detected in a major transport hub in China in December 2019, quickly overwhelmed the globe.

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Shooting at west Hattiesburg Walgreens leaves one dead

By Joshua Wilson, 3,991 Reads

Hattiesburg police officers are investigating a murder that occurred Wednesday at 5093 Hardy Street, which is a Walgreens store in west Hattiesburg.

Officers responded to news of a shooting around 7:15 p.m. and found one male victim deceased at the scene. A suspect is in custody, and the incident is believed to be isolated.

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Proud of ‘Wilson Cabin’

By Joshua Wilson, 798 Reads

My parents have spent the better part of the past decade building, by themselves, a new home – which I affectionally call Wilson Cabin due to its rustic nature and locale – and they were able to move in a few weeks ago.

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Photo by Jesse Johnson for The Pine Belt News A statewide mask mandate set by Gov. Tate Reeves expired Wednesday, but Hattiesburg Mayor Toby Barker – citing his desire to make all COVID-19 decisions “based on local data” – will keep a mandate in place in the Hub City for the “foreseeable future.” However, in Petal, there will be no new mask mandates or business restrictions, according to Mayor Hal Marx.

STATEWIDE MASK MANDATE ENDS: STATEWIDE MASK MANDATE ENDS

By Joshua Wilson, 678 Reads

With an executive order effective at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves ended most of the mask mandates previously imposed to try and slow the spread of the highly contagious novel coronavirus, which has killed nearly 7,000 Mississippians since arriving in the state nearly a year ago.

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Due to weather conditions at the printing facility, mail delivery of the most recent edition of The Pine Belt News will be delayed until Saturday.

Newspaper mail delivery delayed until Monday

By Joshua Wilson, 668 Reads

Mail delivery of the Feb. 18 edition of The Pine Belt News will be delayed until Monday due to weather conditions at the printing facility in southwest Mississippi.

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Old Hattiesburg High gymnasium on fire

By Joshua Wilson, 5,546 Reads

Firefighters are battling an early Sunday morning fire on Forrest Street in downtown Hattiesburg.

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David “Basie” Johnson, a retired Brookhaven Police Department officer, died over the weekend. He was a friend – and role model – to many.

Life is a little less bright with ‘Uncle Basie’ gone

By Joshua Wilson, 4,070 Reads

I was lucky to grow up as the son of a police officer.

My dad, Roger, retired from the Brookhaven Police Department in 2008 after 28 years, and I was very, very relieved. As you can imagine, it’s a dangerous – and sometimes deadly – job, and I was just happy to have him home and safe.

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Mississippi State Treasurer David McRae said that 1 in 10 Mississippians have unclaimed cash, and he is urging residents to use his office's online database to check to see if they are among those with money sitting at the treasury.

Treasurer: ‘Better chances than the lottery’ to have unclaimed money in Mississippi

By Joshua Wilson, 4,847 Reads

February may be the Month of Love, but it is also a great time to check to see if you are among the 1 in 10 Mississippians who have unclaimed money available to them through the Office of the State Treasurer in Jackson.

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Save your teeth, save your health: Hattiesburg dentist uses biomimetic approach to help patients

By Joshua Wilson, 3,988 Reads

Alex May, a lifelong Hattiesburg resident and dentist since 2016, is on a mission to improve the oral health of his patients and, in doing so, also assist with both their physical and emotional well-being.

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Christmas Story: Santa Retires ... Or So It Seems

By Joshua Wilson, 2,388 Reads

The toy-making machines were up for sale, and the workshop was quiet.

Even the usual decorations – the red ribbons, the pretty bows, the towering trees and the sparkling lights – were missing from their normal perches.

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