DIAMONDHEAD — Diamondhead officially becomes a city today when state officials present a charter to the prospective government.
The Sun Herald reports the move comes after five years of legal wrangling over incorporation — a hotly contested case that opponents took all the way to the Mississippi Supreme Court, which upheld the incorporation in a [...] [...]

They sound like a shrimp-lover’s dream. Nearly-foot-long creatures that are beautifully marked and absolutely delectable.
However, Asian tiger shrimp are proving a nightmare for researchers. The invasive specie is being found with increasing frequency in the Gulf of Mexico. Since they have never reached the Gulf previously, scientists and the shrimping industry are worried and are [...] [...]

by Associated Press Published: December 20,2011
Tags: Alabama, british petroleum, Dan Turner, Deepwater Horizon, Democrat, Gov. Phil Bryant, gulf of mexico, JACKSON, Louie Miller, Mississippi, Mississippi Business Journal, Mississippi Development Authority, oil drilling, republican, Ship Island, sierra club
JACKSON — Allowing oil and gas drilling 10 to 12 miles south of Mississippi’s coastline in the Gulf of Mexico is a good idea because it could generate state revenue, Gov. Haley Barbour said Tuesday.
The Mississippi Development Authority on Monday published proposed regulations to lease state waters in the Gulf for the drilling.
The regulations are [...] [...]
HOUSTON — The Obama administration on Friday took another step toward allowing BP to return to the Gulf of Mexico, approving the first oil drilling plan for the company there since the explosion that sank the Deepwater Horizon rig more than a year ago.
According to The New York Times, it was another sign that oil [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: October 21,2011
Tags: Beau Rivage, casinos, gulf of mexico, Haley Barbour, Lady Gaga, Mississippi, Mississippi Department of Revenue, Mississippi Gulf Coast, Mississippi River, September
September was a down month at Coast casinos.
The year started with slow but steady growth. Revenue increased in five of the first seven months, and despite slipping in August and September, remains $5.8 million ahead of last year’s pace.
August’s $10 million drop in gross casino revenue was followed by a $6 [...] [...]
WASHINGTON — An independent audit will be performed on the $20 billion fund set up to compensate victims of last year’s BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Attorney General Eric Holder announced Wednesday.
In a letter to the fund’s administrator, Kenneth Feinberg, Holder stressed that the goal is to balance [...] [...]

The Obama administration’s six-month moratorium on oil and natural gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico could mean an $8.4 million decrease in state and local tax revenues for Mississippi, according to a new study.
The study released by LSU professor Dr. Joseph Mason examined 33 deepwater rigs in the Gulf, from which the United States [...] [...]
NEW ORLEANS — A ban on fishing in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico has been estended to an area south of Vermilion Bay, La., roughly the western edge of oil spreading from the broken BP well.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the closing brings to more than 81,000 [...] [...]

Scientists asked to do a lot with a little
Scientists at Mississippi’s four public research universities find themselves on the front lines of the oil spill battle. Researchers are being asked to collect data on everything from the effects on wildlife and plants to the socio-economic impact.
Yet, it could not have come at a worse time [...] [...]
Dr. Denis Wiesenburg, a seasoned researcher and oceanographer, assumes his new role at the University of Southern Mississippi as vice president of research at a time when the university is extensively involved in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. He has worked on five oil spills during his [...] [...]