By JACK WEATHERLY The first-floor space at the northwest corner of the Plaza Building at 120 N. Congress St. has been vacant since October 2015 when La Finestra, an Italian cuisine restaurant, closed. Now it appears that could soon change. The for-lease signs have been taken from the windows. And there is a buzz about the rumored leasee. That would ...

A Mississippi mayor says their city needs an economic development director to enhance its downtown area. Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell and City Planner Riccardo Giani said Wednesday that a downtown development director could be the catalyst that moves the area forward. The Natchez Democrat reports downtown business owners have been calling for a director. The mayor says he plans to request that ...

The Mississippi Economic Council (MEC) recently elected officers for the Board of Directors for 2018-2019. Elected officers include: · James Daniel “Dan” Rollins III, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of BancorpSouth Bank, as MEC’s 2018-2019 Chair. · William A. “Lex” Taylor III, President and Chairman of the Board of The Taylor Group, Inc., as MEC’s 2019-2020 Chair. ...

A city council in Mississippi has voted to enter an agreement to avoid litigation by updating its sewer system at a cost of more than $120 million over the next 20 years. News outlets report the Meridian City Council agreed to enter into a consent decree Tuesday with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Justice. The EPA found ...

Officials in a Mississippi city have increased how much customers of its water and sewer systems will pay for the services. The Vicksburg Post reports Vicksburg’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved an ordinance Monday, setting the new rates. Half of the increases will be levied in October, and the other half in October 2019. The least a residential water customer will ...

By JACK WEATHERLY The Fastenal Co. will build a $11.5 million istribution center in Madison County and expects to create 60 jobs over the next three years.   Fastenal provides companies with fasteners, tools and supplies needed to manufacture products, build structures and maintain facilities and equipment. The 129,000-square-foot Madison County distribution center, the company‘s 15th in North America, will be located off Sowell Road.   The Mississippi Development Authority is providing $350,000 for ...

By JACK WEATHERLY Horne LLP has entered into an agreement with The Cress Group and Rogers & Associates, which will construct a building bearing the Horne name. A ground-breaking ceremony is scheduled for June 15, with completion expected in January 2020. Horne will occupy 70,885 square feet of the three-story, 95,712-square-foot building bearing its name, with the Cress Group occupying ...

A plan to build a dam on a river in Mississippi and create a lake is drawing fierce opposition. The goal of damming the Pearl River is to prevent flooding in the Jackson, Mississippi, area. The New Orleans Advocate reports that some of the strongest objections are coming from Louisiana. Environmental groups, commercial and recreational fishermen, and people who live in the ...

A defense contractor announced Thursday that it will invest $100 million at its Mississippi plant to expand its ability to make and test military radars. Raytheon Co. of Waltham, Massachusetts, said it will expand its 660-worker facility in the Mississippi town of Forest. The plan calls for adding a 50,000 square-foot (4,600 square-meter) building to help accommodate a contract to ...

By JACK WEATHERLY There are two questions about a historic Delta juke house: 1.) Can Po’ Monkey’s work without Po’ Monkey? 2.) Can the house be moved from the cotton field where it sprang up in the rich soil and culture of the Delta? Willie Seaberry, aka Po’ Monkey, died July 14, 2016. He had a life estate at the ...