The big weekend is finally here; Biloxi video reports; other news and notes

Fireworks displays, freshwater fishing and family fun are expected to be the highlights of this Fourth of July weekend.

The Biloxi fireworks display caps off the weekend Sunday evening, but between now and then you’ll find the Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo in nearby Gulfport, the Our Lady of the Gulf Crab Festival in Bay St. Louis, the original cast of Broadway’s “Jersey Boys” in concert at the Beau Rivage, Little Big Town at the Hard Rock, and the Molly Ringwalds on stage at the IP. To see the complete schedule, click here.

Meantime, Biloxi Emergency Manager Linda Atterberry, never one to be wishy-washy about things, has words of advice for those headed to the beach: “Please remember what we’ve been saying: Use common sense. The beaches are all open, but there are swimming advisories. Keep an eye out for tar balls or tar patties that may be on the shoreline or in near-shore waters. Avoid them.”

To see the latest on the spill — health Q&A, including what to do if you touch oil; video of the path; and more — click here.

From Biloxi, the week in video

The nation and regional media dutifully noted this week that Biloxi joined the growing list of cities where tar balls have begun washing ashore.

The message from the city: We’re not happy that tar balls have found their way to the shore. We’re still open for business. We’ll get through this. In fact, we’re looking forward to a big Fourth of July weekend, typically the biggest weekend of the biggest month of the year.

The first national reporter in town on Monday was NBC News correspondent Mark Potter, who filed many Katrina stories from Biloxi in the days, weeks and even years after the storm. To see Potter’s oil-spill story that aired nationally on Monday, click here.

WWL TV of New Orleans visited on Tuesday. To see the story by reporter Meg Farris, whose family had a Pass Christian home before Katrina, click here.

News and notes

Holiday: Non-emergency municipal offices in Biloxi will be closed Monday in observance of the Independence Day holiday.

Council meeting: Nearly three-dozen issues and the members of the Asgard Motorcycle Club are on the agenda for Tuesday’s City Council meeting. To see the complete agenda and available resolutions, click here.


Road work:
Hooray, Beauvoir Road is freshly paved. To see the status of other roadwork in and around the city, click here.

Lighthouse video: The Biloxi Lighthouse continues to attract visitors for its 9 to 9:30 a.m. tours, but you can take one online now, with Mary Ann Mobley as your guide. To see the 12-minute documentary about the Biloxi Lighthouse, created months before Hurricane Katrina, click here.