Rail passengers group checking out Biloxi, Gulf Coast

Daily passenger rail service is still just a dream for Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but the National Association of Railroad Passengers wants to show the rest of the country what they’re missing. 

On Thursday, two bloggers interning with the national association will be in Biloxi and on the Gulf Coast to share their journey. It’s part of a nearly month long trip to bring attention to passenger rail and local attractions.

Caitlyn Boyle and Victoria Principato, residents of New Jersey, will help to showcase Biloxi if you were visiting by train. Their Mississippi Gulf Coast journey actually begins in Bay St. Louis and travels westward.

“Each community is unique and has its own personality,” said Betsy Nelson, director of Resource Development with NARP.  “We want to publicize the communities the girls visit to promote their special value to tourism, business, and economic development.” 

While in Biloxi, the bloggers will take a waterfront trip aboard the Biloxi Shrimping Tour from the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor;  tour the multi-modal Biloxi Transit Center, which Amtrak says is the only such center between New Orleans and Orlando;  visit MGM Park; and see the view from atop the Biloxi Lighthouse.

“I’m excited to see different cities and people we’ll meet along the way, the people who take trains and to learn how else they’d get there if they didn’t have train travel,” Boyle said in a Metro.US article.  

The 27-day, 22 city Amtrak journey began on July 31 in New York and will conclude in Washington, D.C. on Aug. 26.  The two interns are sharing their adventures through social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

“We offer the whole package here in Biloxi,” Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich said.  “The daily Amtrak is something that Biloxi, the cities on the Gulf Coast and the Southern Rail Commission have advocated for years and this is just another avenue to show that we are ready for the service.” 
See Caityln and Victoria’s journey 
Visit the NARP Facebook page 
Video: Check out the Biloxi Shrimping Tour

 

Excel by 5 to host ribbon-cutting on Thursday

Biloxi Excel By 5 Family Resource Center and Families First For Mississippi will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday at 10 a.m. in the Imagination Station at  Lopez School, which is at 140 St. John St. in Biloxi.

Parents, children and guests will be able to tour the center and learn more about its free programs. Refreshments will be served.

Questions? Contact Susan Hunt at huntsd41@yahoo.com or 228-297-6808.

 

Some city water bills arriving late

About a third of the city’s 14,000 customers will be receiving their monthly water bill a few days late, and as a result, the bill’s due date also has been pushed back. Instead of Sept. 5, the due date printed on the bill will be Sept. 8. Bank draft customers will still draft on Sept. 5.

The city bills its customers in three cycles, and the only impacted customers are in the third cycle, which would have normally been mailed on Aug. 20, with a due date of Sept. 5. As the bills are going out on Aug. 23, they will have a due date of Sept. 8.

 

News and notes: Photos, video and more

Police chief sees stars:Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich awarded Biloxi Police Chief John Miller his third and fourth stars, albeit symbolic, during the City Council meeting this afternoon. Find out why in a video now online. See it by clicking here.

Asgards arrive: It’s a City Hall tradition, the annual visit by members of the Asgard Motorcycle Club. This year it happened Tuesday. See a brief video by clicking here

Council meetings: The Biloxi City Council conducted two meetings Tuesday, a morning budget session and an afternoon regularly scheduled meeting. To see images from the meetings, click here.

Power out: A truck struck a power pole this morning on Atkinson Road, knocking out electricity between Tree Top and Popp’s Ferry roads, north to the bay. Mississippi Power hoped to restore power in two to three hours.  The city’s Twitter followers received news of the incident shortly after it occurred this morning. To follow the city on Twitter, visit the page by clicking here.

Sock hop postponed:  The Parks & Recreation Department’s Mother & Son Sock Hop set for Friday has been postponed until May, taking the event closer to Mother’s Day.  For more information, contact the department at 228-388-7170.