Katrina events to begin Friday morning

Residents interested in participating in the city’s Katrina milestone events should be at the Biloxi Community Center Friday morning at 8:45 to board trolleys for the Biloxi Lighthouse.

The city will break ground on its new visitors center during a brief ceremony at the site north of the Biloxi Lighthouse. Afterward, dignitaries and members of the public will re-board trolleys to return to the Biloxi Community Center where two events will be held: a ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally open the new Howard Avenue, and a ground-breaking ceremony for the new downtown libary and civic center.

Coffee and doughnuts will be served afterward in the Biloxi Community Center, where detailed plans for the two new facilities will be on display, along with before-and-after photos of Howard Avenue.

To see other events taking place to mark the fourth anniversary of Katrina,
click here.

News and notes

Holloway on the rebuilding: Mayor A.J. Holloway on Wednesday spoke to issues in the Biloxi rebuilding effort during remarks to the Edgewater Rotary club. To see notes from his speech, click here.

Holloway on Kennedy: Mayor A.J. Holloway had fond memories of his encounter with Ted Kennedy, the legendary U.S. senator who died Wednesday. Kennedy was among a contingent of senators who visited Keesler Air Force Base weeks after Katrina. “Come sit down right here,” Kennedy said to Holloway, tapping on a nearby chair. “Mayor, watch out for those damn insurance companies,” he told Holloway as he pointed to a fellow senator. “And that’s Joe Lieberman over there, and he’s from Connecticut where most of them are from.”

Katrina excerpt: A two-minute excerpt of the “Katrina & Biloxi” DVD has been posted on YouTube, showing footage from the day of the storm. To see the clip — known as the fasten-your-seatbelt segment —
click here. To buy the DVD and companion photo album online, click here.