Subscribe to Weekly Best Of HCS feed
4 weeks 2 days ago
Photo by Andrew Abadie, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Southern Miss baseball head coach Christian Ostrander earned his 100th win as head skipper of the Golden Eagles. The milestone came in just 137 games at Southern Miss.
That is the fastest any head coach has reached the mark in Golden Eagle baseball history, ahead of Pete Taylor (163), Scott Berry (165), Corky Palmer (168) and Hill Denson (230).
By DIMA MIXON on
1 month ago
Photo by Dima Mixon, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Sumrall didn’t have to work too hard for offense Saturday afternoon.
By DIMA MIXON on
1 month ago
More than 80 nominations received from across state
The 2026 Mississippi Pinnacle Awards proudly announces this year’s finalists, selected from more than 80 nominations representing exceptional achievement in business, leadership, and event innovation across Mississippi.
By Staff reports on
1 month ago
These are trying times for the Secretary of War. His penchant for bare-chested and mano a mano behavior has made him a lightning rod for critics of the Trump administration.
By Benny Hornsby on
1 month ago
Funeral homes may submit obituaries to obits@hubcityspokes.com. Death notices are printed free of charge; obituaries with photos and detailed information will incur a charge. For assistance, call (601)-268-2331.
Robert Bascle (77) of Hattiesburg passed away on February 18, 2026. Moore Funeral Service is handling the arrangements.
Mildred Frances Byrd (86) formerly of Petal passed away on February 19, 2026. Moore Funeral Service handled the arrangements.
Billy Eugene Carter (89) of Petal passed away on February 20, 2026. Moore Funeral Service handled the arrangements.
By Staff reports on
1 month ago
Jail dockets for Forrest and Lamar counties are provided to the Pine Belt News as a public records service. Arrest records are current for the week prior to publication.
Hattiesburg Police:
Ronnie Jermaine Barrett- probation violation, domestic violence (simple assault)
Demarrio Dontion Bass- possession of a controlled substance (less than 2 grams), possession of a controlled substance (between 2 and 10 grams)
Roderick Antwaun Bolton- misdemeanor shoplifting, willful and malicious trespassing
Emily Elizabeth Boone- DUI (first offense)
Breanna Breland- domestic violence (simple assault)
By Staff reports on
1 month ago
Photo by Russ Cloy, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
Southern Miss blasted two grand slams and run-ruled Alabama 14-4 in eight innings Tuesday night at Pete Taylor Park.
“Man, just proud — just proud of these guys and staying in the moment,” Southern Miss head coach Christian Ostrander said. “We had a big weekend this past weekend, and they knew today was the most important game on the schedule. They came out here and competed hard. They’re confident. They believe in each other.”
By DIMA MIXON on
1 month ago
Two weekends into it, the college baseball season is but a puppy. Nevertheless, we can make at least one observation:
Our Mississippi teams have really high ceilings. They can play ball. Omaha is not out of the question for any of the three.
By Rick Cleveland - Mississippi Today on
1 month ago
SUMMIT, Miss. — Pearl River women's basketball never trailed Monday night against Southwest, defeating the Bears 71-48 to move to the top of the MACCC standings.
"We knew they were going to be well coached, and we talked about setting the tone of the game," head coach Shanae Govan-Williams said. "We talked to the girls about just coming out hard, no matter if the ball is going through or not. We can control what we can control with our effort and our defense, and I think we did that for four quarters tonight."
By Grant McLeod on
1 month ago
Photo Special to the Pine Belt News from Southern Miss Athletics
It’s that time of the week again for the weekly Southern Miss report card, grading Southern Miss baseball’s weekly performances every Monday.
This week, I am grading the Southeastern Louisiana game and the Golden Eagles’ sweep of thw 2026 Round Rock Classic in Round Rock, Texas.
As a reminder, these grades will feel tough, because Southern Miss is elite and they should be graded accordingly to that scale.
With that in mind, here’s the second report card of 2026.
Starting Pitching – B+
By DIMA MIXON on
1 month ago
Photo special to the Pine Belt News from Southern Miss athletics.
ROUND ROCK, Texas — No. 20 Southern Miss baseball capped a resounding weekend at the 2026 Round Rock Classic, sweeping all three games — including a dramatic walk-off over Purdue, a statement victory against No. 11 Oregon State and a final slugfest 5-1 win over Baylor.
By DIMA MIXON on
1 month 1 week ago
By Brandon Shields on
1 month 1 week ago
University of Mississippi Medical Center has closed all of its clinics on Thursday to a cybersecurity attack.
UMMC issued the following statement:
"Due to a cybersecurity attack, many UMMC IT systems are down, including access to our electronic medical records, Epic.
"Today, all UMMC clinic locations statewide are closed. Outpatient and ambulatory surgeries/procedures and imaging appointments are cancelled and will be rescheduled. Hospital services are continuing for our patients using downtime procedures.
Published on
1 month 1 week ago
Jail dockets for Forrest and Lamar counties are provided to the Pine Belt News as a public records service. Arrest records are current for the week prior to publication.
Hattiesburg Police:
Rakajah Allen- domestic violence (simple assault)
Demeshia Lashay Amones- domestic violence (simple assault)
Devium Bickham- domestic violence (simple assault)
Alvin Lee Bridges, Jr.- trespassing
Jaylen Kashan Jones Brooks- no/expired/improper tag, domestic violence (simple assault)
Tavarus Brown- probation violation
Demarion Carter- shoplifting misdemeanor
By Staff reports on
1 month 1 week ago
Jackson Mayor John Horhn has selected Dr. RaShall Brackney to be the new police chief of Jackson.
Most of Brackney’s career, 30 years, was in the Pittsburgh Police Bureau. She later served as chief of campus police at George Washington University and, most recently, police chief in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Brackney takes over from interim chief Tyree Jones, also serving as Hinds County Sheriff. This week she visited Jackson where she spoke to various groups and was shown around town by Mayor Horhn.
By Wyatt Emmerich on
1 month 1 week ago
Photo by Dima Mixon, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
In its first home baseball game of the season, Hattiesburg turned in what interim head coach Chris Bendenbaugh called its most complete performance of the year.
Behind a dominant first varsity start from EJ Cox and an offense that produced nine hits — including five for extra bases — the Tigers run-ruled North Forrest 11-0 in five innings Tuesday night in non-district action.
By DIMA MIXON on
1 month 1 week ago
Photo by Russ Cloy, © 2026 Emmerich Newspapers, Inc.
It took the Sumrall boys just 80 minutes of near-perfect soccer to wipe out three years of playoff misfortune.
After coming up short in the final minutes of playoff losses in 2023 and 2025, the Bobcats left nothing to chance Tuesday night in the Class 5A South State boys soccer championship, dominating Northeast Jones from start to finish in a 2-0 victory at Lions Field.
Sumrall (21-7-1) will battle Pontotoc at noon Saturday at Germantown High School for the 5A state title, with the boys hoping to add a gold trophy to the Class 4A championship the Bobcat girls won in 2024.
By Stan Caldwell on
1 month 1 week ago
There are places that Science Fiction takes you: the stars, distant planets, galaxies we never knew were in existence. Inside of those journeys, there is travel and there is even time travel. In other words, no boundaries exist for storytelling. So, the Fantasy side of SciFi relies upon the creation of what we will call an "alternate reality." In its sub genre Speculative Fiction, this phenomena often turns a mirror on the current ills of society. In Literature, you really cannot have an illness without some bout with horror.
By Mik Davis on
1 month 1 week ago
With the 2026 tax season in full swing, the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Atlanta Field Office officials have urged taxpayers to remain vigilant against unethical tax preparation services. The IRS-CI identified $4.5 billion in tax fraud for the fiscal year of 2025, which is more than doubled from the previous year.
By Amanda D. Lee on
1 month 1 week ago
The University of Southern Mississippi’s Humanities Teacher Award committee has selected Dr. Timothy Gutmann, an assistant professor of religion in the Philosophy, Religion and Law program in the School of Humanities, to receive the award administered through the Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC).
By Morgan Smith on
