LUY-Development

Category: Local News

  • Adams County Tax Notices to Mail by Week’s End as Supervisors Address Roads, Airport Upgrades

    Tax notices are expected to be mailed to Natchez-Adams County property owners by the end of the week.
    Meeting Monday with the Adams County Board of Supervisors, county Tax Collector Terrence Bailey said the mailouts have been delayed because his office switched to a new contractor for processing the paper notices.

    County board President Kevin Wilson noted Adams County property owners have been anxiously awaiting their tax bills annually mailed in December. Bailey said they can pay what’s due online without receiving their bills, or they can visit the tax collector’s office in the Adams County Courthouse. Payments are due next year by Feb. 1.

    The property taxes – based on the assessed values of land and buildings – are combined for what’s due Natchez, Adams County and the Natchez-Adams School District.

    To view your property tax information that includes how much is owed, go to:

    www.deltacomputersystems.com/ms/ms01/plinkquerym.html

    The Adams County Tax Collector’s telephone number is 601 442-8601.

    Convening Monday for what’s scheduled to be their last public meeting of the year, the five county supervisors took up various matters that included discussions about improvements needed for South Palestine Road. Cost estimates are being made for repairing its “horrible” conditions, said county Road Manager Robbie Dollar.

    He said the byway that traverses from Liberty Road through south Adams County is one of the county’s worst roads. “I get more calls on this one than any other area,” Dollar told county supervisors.

    He said he’s evaluating prices and options “to see what the cheapest route is” for fixing the crumbling roadway. Dollar submitted to supervisors the countywide road plan for the next four years.

     The board also discussed plans for improvements needed for the Natchez-Adams County Airport as it prepares for commercial passenger airline service coming next year.

    AT&T and C Spire have competing bids supervisors are reviewing to build about one mile of fiber-optic communication lines from U.S. 61 to the county-owned airport, said county Administrator Mitzi Conn. The companies propose to pay part of the expenses that Conn said would total about $50,000.  The board is also seeking proposals from engineering firms for designing and building the various upgrades needed to accommodate the passengers and Skywest Airline-operated United Express planes that start coming in July.

    Local leaders are gathering today at the airport to celebrate the return of commercial passenger airline service to Natchez-Adams County after more than 30 years without.

  • Help Make Christmas Merry at the Natchez Stewpot

    This Christmas season offers a meaningful opportunity to spread joy, kindness, and hope right here in our community. On behalf of Beverly Adams, Director of the Natchez Stewpot, the Natchez-Adams Chamber of Commerce invites the public to help make the holidays brighter for neighbors in need.

    The Natchez Stewpot is preparing holiday meals and is currently accepting donations of potato salad, dinner rolls, and desserts to help complete those meals. Donations may be dropped off at the Stewpot, located at 69 East Franklin Street, any time before December 23rd. The Stewpot is open Monday through Saturday from 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM.

  • State allocates $1.7 million to redevelop old Natchez IP site

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – The governor has awarded Adams County $1.7 million to help make the old Natchez International Paper site ready for new industry.

    The grant is included in more than $100 million awarded throughout Mississippi by Gov. Tate Reeves for economic development projects.

    “The over $100 million investment I announced today will help Mississippi continue its record-shattering economic development efforts, attract billions in future capital investment and strengthen our entire state,” Reeves said in detailing the various allocations Thursday.

    The grant for Adams County is for clearing and leveling 106 acres of a 478-acre site that includes concrete to be removed.  The county Board of Supervisors bought the property in 2013 for $9 million to redevelop for new industries. IP closed its paper mill there in 2003 after 53 years of operations.

    The land on Lower Woodville and Carthage Point roads is being marketed as the “Mississippi River Energy Complex,” said Chandler Russ, executive director of Natchez Inc., the industrial recruitment agency for the city and county.

    Russ noted recently that the property is already occupied by industries that have invested more than $70 million into their developments and employ more than 100 people. The industries include Phibro, a tire-recycling facility.

    To continue making the old IP site “shovel-ready” for more industries, Adams County has received more than $4 million from the state. That includes $740,000 for completing site development of 40 acres and $3.5 million for the remaining property “to achieve full shovel-ready status,” Russ said. 

    The $1.7 million the governor announced Thursday for Adams County is tucked into more than $100 million distributed to cities and counties throughout Mississippi. The money is from various state and federal sources, such as the Mississippi Development Authority, Appalachian Regional Commission and Delta Regional Authority.

  • Sparklight Bringing Ultra-Fast Multi-Gig Internet to Natchez; City Announces Community Event

    Natchez is set to receive a major digital upgrade. Sparklight, a leading broadband communications provider, has announced it will introduce its new ultra-fast Multi-Gig internet service to Natchez and the surrounding region—a move city officials say will strengthen opportunities for residents, students, and businesses alike.

    To commemorate the launch, the City of Natchez is inviting residents, business owners, and community partners to a special announcement event on Thursday, December 18th at 3:00 p.m. The celebration will take place on the front steps of Natchez City Hall, where Mayor Dan M. Gibson will join Sparklight representatives to share details about the expansion.

    Sparklight’s new Multi-Gig service will offer speeds up to 2 Gig, low latency, and unlimited data, features designed to meet the rapidly growing digital needs of modern households and workplaces. The enhanced capacity is expected to support remote work, online education, entertainment, and future technological innovation across the community.

    Mayor Dan Gibson praised the investment, calling it a meaningful milestone for Natchez.

    “We are thrilled to welcome this significant investment in Natchez,” Mayor Gibson said. “Sparklight’s launch of Multi-Gig internet marks another step forward for our city. Enhanced digital capabilities mean stronger support for remote workers, improved opportunities for students, and greater capacity for business growth. This is truly an investment in Natchez’s future.”

    Sparklight leaders say the Multi-Gig rollout is part of a broader effort to expand high-capacity broadband across the Gulf Coast and beyond.

    “Reliable, high-capacity broadband is essential for any thriving community,” said John Hilbert, Sparklight Director of Regional Operations, Gulf Coast. “With the launch of our Multi-Gig service, Natchez residents and businesses will have the scalability and speed needed to keep pace with today’s digital world. Sparklight is proud to stand alongside Natchez as it continues growing and preparing for the opportunities ahead.”

    Over the last three years, Sparklight has invested more than $1 billion in network upgrades nationwide. Nearly $14 million of that investment has been dedicated to the Natchez area, laying the groundwork for future advancements such as 10 Gig (10G) capabilities.

    Residents can learn more about the rollout and what it means for the region at the announcement event on December 18th.

  • Morning Newscast: Merit Health Natchez Not Closing; $12B Farm Aid, Mississippi Tops FAFSA, NIL Oversight Proposed


    Merit Health Natchez officials say the hospital is not planning to close, even as medical centers across Mississippi and the nation prepare for potential shutdowns linked to reductions in government-funded programs. During a meeting with Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson and city aldermen, Chief Executive Officer Kevin Samro outlined ongoing improvements at the 179‑bed facility, including service upgrades, facility enhancements, and continued physician recruitment. The assurance comes as hospitals that rely heavily on federal Medicaid funding face cuts enacted this year by the president and Congress. Finances are further strained by uncompensated care for patients.

    Louisiana farmers are expected to benefit from a $12 billion federal aid package. According to LSU AgCenter economist Dr. Michael Deliberto, the aid will help producers pay down debt and prepare for the 2026 growing season. Farmers have experienced losses of up to $300 per acre due to economic slowdowns tied to federal tariffs. Of the total aid, $11 billion is designated for row crop farmers, with the remaining $1 billion allocated for specialty crops such as sugarcane and crawfish.

    A recent study shows Mississippi now leads the nation in completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Data from the National College Attainment Network’s FAFSA Tracker reports that 73.4 percent of Mississippi’s graduating seniors completed the form this year, compared to the national rate of 61.3 percent. The state’s public universities reported a 3 percent increase in enrollment from fall 2024 to fall 2025. Research from the Mississippi State University Social Science Research Center indicates students who complete the FAFSA are four times more likely to enroll in college.

    Following multiple meetings, the Louisiana Legislature’s Task Force on NIL Deals for Student-Athletes is preparing bill proposals for the upcoming legislative session. Representative Rashid Young said the task force repeatedly heard concerns about the limited structure governing interactions with amateur athletes, including high school students. Young emphasized the need for stronger parental involvement for minors entering agreements. The task force also received reports of middle school athletes being approached with NIL opportunities and is seeking to prohibit those practices.

    The Mississippi River at Natchez–Vidalia is at 15.95 feet and falling.

     

  • Natchez hospital plans to grow, not close

    Natchez hospital plans to grow, not close

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – The chief administrator of the Natchez hospital said no closure is being envisioned as other medical centers in Mississippi and elsewhere brace for possible shutdowns because of government funding cuts.

    “We’re looking to expand. We’re looking to grow…. I’m not looking at closure,” said Merit Health Natchez Chief Executive Officer Kevin Samrow.

    Meeting Tuesday with Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson and city aldermen, Samrow cited examples of how the 179-bed hospital continues to improve medical services, upgrade facilities and recruit more physicians.

    This comes as hospitals like Merit that rely heavily on federal Medicaid funds for low-income patients endure spending cuts President Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress enacted this year. Hospitals’ finances are also exacerbated by the uncompensated care they provide for patients.

    Merit Health Natchez – which employs about 300 people at a medical center that had about 100,000 patient admissions this past year – has a funding pie that’s about 40 percent Medicaid dollars, according to data provided by Samrow and the Mississippi Hospital Association.

    Samrow said Merit – owned by Community Health Systems of Tennessee – spent nearly $2 million in 2025 on structural improvements at the Natchez hospital, which was built in 1960 as a county-owned hospital but sold in 2014 to CHS.

    He pointed to Merit’s recruitment efforts to hire physicians for orthopedic surgery, pain management and primary care coming in 2026 with more medical specialists being sought.

  • Mayor Gibson Breaks Tie Votes to Keep Panhandling Ban and Appoint Donna Sessions to Tourism Commission

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – Mayor Dan Gibson broke city aldermen’s tie votes Tuesday to retain a local ban against roadside panhandling. He broke another tie to appoint a former garden club president to Natchez’ tourism commission.

    The mayor said Natchez should continue with its existing ordinance making it illegal for people to stand along public roadways asking for money. Gibson voted with three aldermen to opt out of a new state law that sets out a local permitting process “for what I consider to be a dangerous activity.” They outvoted the three aldermen embracing the new law that gives cities the option to allow roadside solicitation with various requirements, such as getting a permit and paying a fee.

    Siding with the mayor were Aldermen Sarah Carter Smith, Ben Davis and Curtis Moroney to wave off the new panhandling permit law and keep the current ban intact. Voting to develop local permitting regulations: Aldermen Valencia Hall, Billie Joe Frazier and Felicia Bridgewater Irving.

    Gibson and other city officials have expressed concerns about beggars posing traffic hazards at busy intersections as they solicit money from motorists at stoplights. Current law does forbid people from interfering with traffic, but courts have deemed limited forms of panhandling to be free speech protected by the constitution.

    ——————-

    In breaking another 3-3 board vote Tuesday, the mayor supported Donna Sessions’ appointment to the Natchez Convention Promotion Commission. Gibson said the former Natchez Garden Club president is highly qualified to serve on the tourism board, and he rejected some aldermen’s contention that a Black person instead should fill the seat.

    Sessions replaces Barbara Bruce, who was one of three Black members on the six-member commission that determines how to spend the city’s tourism tax revenues to market the city. It also oversees Visit Natchez, the city’s tourism office.

    With Natchez being about 60 percent Black,  “there should be some sort of representation on the (tourism) board” to reflect that majority population, said Frazier, one of Natchez’ four Black aldermen.

    However, Gibson said choosing people to sit on government boards should be based on their qualifications and not devolve  “into a discussion on race.”

    Joining Gibson in voting for Sessions’ appointment: Hall, Smith, and Moroney; Against: Frazier, Davis, and Irving.

    Sessions will join the other NCPC members: Jennie Guido, John Grady Burns, Robbie Cade-Furdge,  Fred Marsalis Jr., and Sheila Duffy-Lehrman. Marsalis and Duffy-Lehrman were appointed in October to replace Helen Moss Smith and Lance Harris, who resigned after several years on the commission.

    Sessions was among six candidates considered by aldermen to replace Smith or Harris in October. Sessions remained in contention as a viable candidate after Bruce subsequently resigned, but Frazier, Irving, and Davis said more prospects should be sought for aldermen to interview.

    Sessions was president in recent years of the Natchez Garden Club. It owns Magnolia Hall and House on Ellicott’s Hill, which are among Natchez’ primary tourist attractions along with other antebellum houses.

  • LDWF Investigating Illegal Shooting of Louisiana Black Bear in Concordia Parish

    Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries enforcement agents are investigating the illegal killing of a Louisiana black bear after the animal was found dead in Concordia Parish on November 30. The bear was discovered off Blount Road on the Richard K. Yancy Wildlife Management Area.

    Agents responding to the scene determined the bear, an adult male weighing about 375 pounds, had been shot unlawfully.

    To help solve the case, a reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction. The reward includes $2,500 from Safari Club International’s Acadiana Chapter and up to $1,000 from Louisiana Operation Game Thief. Officials say the public’s help is often critical in identifying shooters in remote areas.

    Anyone with information is asked to contact the Louisiana Operation Game Thief hotline at 1-800-442-2511 or submit tips through LDWF’s tip411 system by texting “LADWF” and a message to 847411, or by using the free “LADWF Tips” mobile app. Both options are monitored around the clock, and tipsters may remain anonymous.

    LDWF has not released a suspect description and says the investigation is ongoing. Agents are urging anyone who may have seen suspicious activity on or near the Richard K. Yancy WMA around November 30 to come forward.

  • 2026 MLK parade will honor Natchez Deacons for Defense

    2026 MLK parade will honor Natchez Deacons for Defense

    NATCHEZ, Miss. — The 2026 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade will honor the Natchez Deacons for Defense and Justice, with community leader Jackie Posey serving as grand marshal, announced Parade Chairperson Jacqueline Marsaw.

    The parade, which is sponsored by the Natchez Branch of the NAACP, starts at 3 p.m. Monday, January 19. Participants will line up at 2 p.m. on Broadway Street on the Bluff.

    The theme for the parade is, “The Fierce Urgency of Now,” a phrase taken from a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It appears in this excerpt: “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there ‘is’ such a thing as being too late. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.”

    The grand marshal was selected because of her leadership and commitment in helping people throughout the community, said Marsaw.

    She noted that when Posey is not working her regular job, she serves the Natchez community as the director of the Black Mustard Seed Community Service Group. Through the group’s Southwest Diaper Bank of the Miss-Lou, she and other volunteers help single mothers and others in need by donating pampers and milk, said Marsaw.

    Posey said she is grateful to Marsaw for the recognition. “It’s a surprise and an honor,” she said. “I feel very privileged to do this.”

    Posey is an administrative assistant at the Adams County Sheriff Office. She also directs the Adams County Sheriff Office Junior Cadet Program through which she works with students ages 10 to 18. In addition to providing them with training, she guides them in community service projects, including the “Stop Gun Violence” program presented recently by Grieving Mothers & Fathers, Positive Impact, and the Natchez NAACP.

    In regard to the Natchez Deacons, Marsaw said it is fitting to honor them in the parade because of their courage and their contribution to the Civil Rights Movement in Natchez. The Deacons provided armed protection for the Black community and civil rights workers against the violence of the Ku Klux Klan.

    “Their history is very interesting and inspiring,” said Marsaw. “When I was in school, I didn’t know this history. But they were there for our community when it counted.”

    Marsaw said she interviewed some of the Deacons in 2016 and 2017 for a book project led by Judge Mary Lee Toles and the NAACP. However, Toles died in 2017, and as a result, the book was never published. Still, Marsaw noted, what she and other NAACP members learned was impactful and will not be forgotten.

    “The Deacons told us that they didn’t hide from the KKK. They got on roof tops and watched the Klan. Sometimes they stayed up all night, taking turns watching the Klan,” she said, adding, 2026 is a good time to honor them.

    The parade route will start at North Broadway and Franklin streets and will travel along Franklin to N. Dr. M.L. King St., where it will turn left and proceed up to Minor and Spring streets, where it will end.

    Anyone interested in participating in the parade must register by January 15. Entry fees include $50 “for unlimited entries.” The fee is $10 for a single car or truck and $5 for a single horse. No four-wheelers allowed.

    First- through Fifth-place awards will be presented for the best floats.

    For more information, call 601-443-1350.

  • Wreaths Across America ceremony set for December 13

    Wreaths Across America ceremony set for December 13

    NATCHEZ, Miss. – Home with Heroes will host the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony at 11 a.m. Saturday, December 13, at the Natchez National Cemetery. The annual event is part of a nation-wide program in which millions of people pay tribute to U.S. military Veterans by placing wreaths on their graves.

    Saturday’s program is free and open to the public.

    “As a veteran and the widow of a veteran, Wreaths Across America is more than just a patriotic act—it’s a deeply personal way to honor the veterans who have passed,” said retired Army Major Gabi Crousillac. She is the vice president of Home with Heroes and chair of the Mayor’s Veterans Task Force.

    Retired Army First Sergeant Ben Tucker participates each year in the Wreaths Across America program. For him, it is more than a tradition.

    “I do it because I am a soldier, a retired soldier,” he said. “I understand the contributions the soldiers have made to this country and the future we all share. It’s more than worth the sacrifice.”

    Tucker is a board member of Home with Heroes, and he also serves on the Mayor’s Veterans Task Force. He is the first vice commander of the VFW Post 9573.

    Crousillac said the day’s ceremony will be held on the old side of the Natchez National Cemetery at the Committal Service Shelter. It will open with a prayer by Vietnam-era Army veteran Doug McAlister and the welcome by Mayor Dan Gibson.

    Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Herman Curry, Jr. will serve as the guest speaker. Curry is the instructor of the Natchez High School’s AFJROTC program. The ceremony will include a presentation of wreaths by Boy Scout Troop 158.

    Crousillac said members of the local Dirt Broke motorcycle group, many of whom are veterans, will also attend the ceremony. “Taps” will be performed by McAlister, who is president of the Point Man International Ministries of the Miss-Lou.

    Crousillac will serve as the Mistress of Ceremonies.

    Following the ceremony, over 200 wreaths will be laid on the graves of the veterans.

    This year, Crousillac will place a wreath on the grave of her husband, Brad Cromie, who died in 2024. He served in the Marine Corps. She said the volunteers will also be sure to lay a wreath on the grave of G. Mark LaFrancis, the founder and former president of Home with Heroes — and energetic promoter of the Wreaths Across America program. LaFrancis passed in June 2024 following a long battle with cancer.

    Speaking last year, retired Army Lt. Col. Larry Smith, former president of Home with Heroes, praised LaFrancis for his contributions to the Natchez community. “Mark lived his life with purpose, providing support to local veterans and their families, as well as to the broader community, through his writing and his filmmaking, he said. “His example has been an inspiration to us all.”

    LaFrancis was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. His wife, Eileen Mary Maher, died in August. Her name appears on the opposite side of LaFrancis’ headstone.