Ribbon cuttings celebrate Oak Street pavement

“Clear skies and paved roads, can it get any better than that?” asks the Biloxi Bay Chamber of Commerce in its invitation for a dual ribbon-cutting ceremonies on Oak Street this morning. “This is an event worth celebrating.”

The chamber will conduct two ceremonial ribbon cuttings this morning, at 11 a.m. at The Biloxi Lugger restaurant on Eighth Street and at 11:30 a.m. at Le Bakery on Oak Street, just north of the CSX Railway. Both events are open to the public.

The two businesses, along with residents and other business in the Oak Street area are celebrating the permanent paving that contractors applied a couple of weeks ago as part of the massive infrastructure work in east Biloxi. The roadway had been plagued with detours and nearly impassible for months.

At the Biloxi Lugger, which is adjacent to the Biloxi Boardwalk Marina, visitors will be able to sample the restaurants “Eighth Street Shrimp Bread,” while at the Le Bakery visitors will be treated to a specialty for the occasion: “Dirt Cake – We dig our new roads!”
See the paving background and photos

 

Court seeks to resolve outstanding cases

Biloxi’s Municipal Court, as part of its settlement agreement with the ACLU, is resetting municipal court cases where defendants owe fines or fees dating back to March 2014.

The court is now sending notices to as many as 500 defendants letting them know that any existing arrest warrants against them for non-payment or failure to appear in court have been recalled, but they must appear in court for a compliance hearing. At the hearing, a judge will determine whether the defendant has the ability to pay fines, or should perform community service or other alternative sentences.

The court maintains that no one who appears at a hearing will be jailed for fines owed, but those who fail to appear could face additional charges.

Those with outstanding fines or who have failed to appear in court, regardless of whether they have received a notice, should contact the court at 228-435-6125 or via email at court@biloxi.ms.us. Defendants, by the way, can read the “Advisement of Rights and Obligations for Legal Financial Obligations and Community Service” online at  biloxi.ms.us/departments/municipal-court/.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the city in March settled a federal lawsuit that prompted the city to initiate new policies and procedures that the ACLU says are a model for cities nationwide.
See the notices being mailed now
See a Spanish version of the notices
See a Vietnamese version of the notices
Learn more about the ACLU settlement