National Day of Prayer is Thursday; other news and notes

More than a dozen local clergymen will gather Thursday at noon on the steps of Biloxi City Hall for the 56th annual National Day of Prayer.

Among those participating in this year’s program, which is themed “America, Unite in Prayer,” will be Bishop Thomas J. Rodi of the Catholic Diocese of Biloxi, Mayor A.J. Holloway, the Rev. Harold Roberts of the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer, Pastor David Dunkin of Cedar Lake Christian Assembly, and 10-year-old Javan Yarbrough of Lopez Elementary School, who will lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

The event, which is organized annually by Carleen E. Hall, is open to the public.

To see the complete lineup for Biloxi’s National Day of Prayer, click here.

News and notes

Longer laps: The Biloxi Natatorium has begun offering long-course swimming lanes to help lap swimmers take full advantage of the facility’s Olympic-size pool. For more on the improvement, click here.

Youth in Government Day: Nine Biloxi High students shadowed Biloxi leaders on Wednesday, a day where City Hall also hosted a delegation of Iranian medical professionals. To see photos from the annual Elks Lodge 606’s Youth in Government Day, click here.

New debris figures: City debris czar Jonathan Kiser reported Tuesday that more than 2.92 million cubic yards of storm debris – enough to cover a football field and stand more than 137 stories high – has now been removed from the city. That amount, Kiser reports at the 20-month mark, represents 98 percent of the amount of debris estimated to be left in Hurricane Katrina’s wake. To see a breakdown on the debris, click here.