Hattiesburg – On Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Toby Barker and Ward 2 Councwiloman Deborah Delgado were joined by Pastor Carlos Wilson and Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church members to celebrate the completion of the East 8th Street Courts, a shared-use project funded by the 1¢ Parks and Recreation restaurant and hotel/motel tax. The courts, which are well-lit, fenced and provide access to...
CITY OF HATTIESBURG NEWS
Hattiesburg Reaches Settlement with Federal, State Governments Over Wastewater System
Hattiesburg, Mississippi – On Wednesday, August 26, the City of Hattiesburg entered into a consent decree with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to significantly reduce sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) and to improve the overall operations of Hattiesburg’s sewer system. The consent decree – a 16-year improvement plan – accompanies a lawsuit...
Hattiesburg Renews Franchise Agreement with 95.6% Approval
Hattiesburg, Mississippi – Today, residents voted to renew the City of Hattiesburg’s franchise agreement with Mississippi Power for another 25 years. The agreement was approved by voters with a 1307 – 59 margin, totaling 95.6% of the vote in favor. This agreement allows for the city to continue receiving 3% of gross revenues generated from residential, commercial and industrial accounts...
Hattiesburg Announces $1.4M Water Improvement Project for East Jerusalem Neighborhood
Hattiesburg, Mississippi – On Monday, Mayor Toby Barker was joined by Ward 2 Councilwoman Deborah Delgado to announce a $1.4 million water improvement plan for the East Jerusalem neighborhood in Ward 2. This project will upgrade the water lines throughout the East Jerusalem neighborhood, with the core objective set to replace undersized water lines – that are 1” and 3”...
Hattiesburg Receives $1.8M Federal Grant for Hub City Transit
Hattiesburg, Mississippi – On Thursday, Mayor Toby Barker was joined by Ward 1 Councilman Jeffrey George, Ward 4 Councilwoman Mary Dryden, Ward 5 Councilman Nicholas Brown, city administrators and community members to announce a $1.8 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to improve accessibility for Hub City Transit. This on-site announcement followed a release by U.S. Senators Roger Wicker...
Hattiesburg Sets Franchise Agreement Special Election for August 25
Hattiesburg, Mississippi – On Tuesday, August 25, the City of Hattiesburg will hold a special election for the renewal of its franchise agreement with Mississippi Power. This agreement allows for the city to receive 3% of revenue generated from residential, commercial and industrial accounts. Without it, the city will only receive 2% of generated revenue – and only from residential...
August 5 – Daily Update
During today’s briefing with Mayor Toby Barker, he went over several reopening plans for our area schools, universities and colleges. This information is as of TODAY, and could change. If you have specific questions, we encourage you to reach out directly to your school district for more information. Each website (with plans) can be found below. Hattiesburg Public...
Hattiesburg Fire Department Secures Class Three Rating
Hattiesburg, Mississippi – On Thursday, July 30, Mayor Toby Barker and the Hattiesburg Fire Department announced its upgraded fire rating, from a Class 4 to a Class 3. On February 3, 1998, the City of Hattiesburg and Hattiesburg Fire Department received a Class 4 fire rating from the Mississippi State Ratings Bureau. This rating has been maintained for 22 years,...
Hattiesburg Issues New Order to Slow the Spread of COVID-19 Through Gatherings/Crowds
Hattiesburg, Mississippi – On Wednesday, July 29, Mayor Toby Barker issued new limitations for restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and dance halls through Executive Order 2020-14 in hopes to alleviate the spike of COVID-19 cases throughout Forrest and Lamar Counties. “From the beginning, we’ve stated that our three goals in response to COVID-19 are to protect our vulnerable, prevent the overrun...
July 29 – Daily Update
Today’s update includes a link to Mayor Barker’s daily briefing, our local data and a new Executive Order to address late-night gatherings/crowds. Local Data Total tests: 37,709 Positive results: 4,176 Negative results: 32,145 Pending tests: 1,377 Hospital Data for Forrest General and Merit Health Wesley: Hospitalizations: 90 (with 15 pending test results) ICU Utilizations: 39 Total Positive Case Data Since...
Hattiesburg Business Leaders and Partners Launch Campaign for Hattiesburg to Mask Up
Hattiesburg, Mississippi – On Monday morning, business and health care leaders – Bernard Green with GlobalGreen Insurance; Hoppy Cole with The First, A National Banking Association; Abb Payne with Payne Companies; Todd Jackson with The ADP; Traci Rouse with Merit Health Wesley and Dr. Rambod Rouhbakhsh with Forrest General and Hattiesburg Clinic – joined Mayor Toby Barker to launch a...
July 20 – Daily Update
Governor Reeves has extended his safe return order and added Forrest County to his mask order. The City of Hattiesburg’s Executive Order 2020-13 has also been signed to reflect those changes. Hospitalizations/ICU Between our two hospitals, there are 79 COVID-positive patients in the hospital, with 36 of them in ICU. There are 26 patients under investigation. New positive cases over...