http://news.yahoo.com/local/Jackson/24646 Yahoo! Local News - Hattiesburg American en-us Thousands of Mississippians will gather with friends and family over the July Fourth holiday to celebrate our great nation's independence. I anticipate the celebrations in my neighborhood to be fueled by barbecues, fireworks and various displays of blue fields, white stars and red stripes. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=131ok5au9/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090704%2FOPINION01%2F907040330%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090704/OPINION01/907040330/-1/rss01 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:36:50 +0000 At age 9, she dreamed of being an astronaut or a rabbi. Either job would have brought her closer to God, but Batsheva Appel chose the latter. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=131idkbiv/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090704%2FLIFESTYLE%2F907040308%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090704/LIFESTYLE/907040308/-1/rss01 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:36:40 +0000 JAYESS - It's not how beautiful a vegetable looks that tells Robert Wilson whether it's ready to be harvested, it's how it feels. Wilson is blind. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=12u0gim87/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090704%2FNEWS01%2F907040302%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090704/NEWS01/907040302/-1/rss01 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:36:30 +0000 As a bicentennial baby, perhaps it was only appropriate that Stacey Malaret truly grew up red, white and blue. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=12uhv53sm/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090704%2FNEWS01%2F907040311%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090704/NEWS01/907040311/-1/rss01 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:36:20 +0000 Services are 10:30 a.m. Monday at Colonial Funeral Home Chapel in Columbia for Minnie B. Swayze, 90, of Columbia, who died July 3, 2009, at The Myrtles. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=132fevfv3/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090704%2FOBITUARIES%2F907040305%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090704/OBITUARIES/907040305/-1/rss01 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:36:10 +0000 COLUMBUS, Ohio - Several states are facing the prospect of government shutdowns and program cuts as they enter the first weekend of the fiscal year and July Fourth holiday without a budget in place. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=130hn3ous/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090704%2FBUSINESS%2F907040319%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090704/BUSINESS/907040319/-1/rss01 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:36:00 +0000 LUMBERTON - City officials in Lumberton spoke of unity and an all-for-one mentality during the next four years of the Miriam Holder administration. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=12uf4qqe4/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090704%2FNEWS01%2F907040314%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090704/NEWS01/907040314/-1/rss01 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:35:50 +0000 Several years ago, I wrote "A Prayer for the Nation." Given the challenges that are currently facing our nation, I think it is appropriate on Independence Day to share an updated version of that prayer. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=1311se0mb/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090704%2FLIFESTYLE%2F907040310%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090704/LIFESTYLE/907040310/-1/rss01 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:35:40 +0000 TWO MEN DIED nearly simultaneously last week, and their deaths remind us of the differences between heroes and stars. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=131ohhatq/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090704%2FOPINION01%2F907040331%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090704/OPINION01/907040331/-1/rss01 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:35:30 +0000 DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Brian France defended NASCAR's drug testing policy as the toughest in professional sports, despite a federal judge's ruling that overturned driver Jeremy Mayfield's suspension. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=12upr1k5f/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090704%2FSPORTS%2F907040325%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090704/SPORTS/907040325/-1/rss01 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:35:20 +0000 Minnie B. Swayze COLUMBIA Services are 10:30 a.m. Monday at Colonial Funeral Home Chapel in Columbia for Minnie B. Swayze, 90, of Columbia, who died July 3, 2009, at The Myrtles. Burial is in Woodlawn Cemetery. Visitation is 9-10:30 a.m. at the funeral home. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=131jh8iv8/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090703%2FOBITUARIES%2F90703008%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090703/OBITUARIES/90703008/-1/rss01 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:21:13 +0000 As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day this weekend, we should look at this as more than a day of fun. Let us not forget why we are celebrating. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=131rjprek/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090703%2FOPINION01%2F907030328%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090703/OPINION01/907030328/-1/rss01 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:35:32 +0000 John Buchanan took over July 1 as Petal schools superintendent and he's not timid about sharing his views on education or his new district. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=1346uvgk9/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090703%2FPETALTODAY02%2F907030320%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090703/PETALTODAY02/907030320/-1/rss01 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 22:35:29 +0000 Hal Marx invoked the words of former Mississippi governor Kirk Fordice June 25 asking for a new slogan: "Only positive Petal spoken here." http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=134gk69sq/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090703%2FPETALTODAY01%2F907030304%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090703/PETALTODAY01/907030304/-1/rss01 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:50:33 +0000 In the past, downtown Hattiesburg merchants didn't have much to look forward to when the Fourth of July holiday rolled around except empty streets and maybe a sprinkle of customers patronizing a few open establishments. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=12uo1qblt/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090703%2FNEWS01%2F907030330%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090703/NEWS01/907030330/-1/rss01 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:36:50 +0000 Chuck Horne played football, basketball and baseball and ran track at Royal Street High School in Hattiesburg in the late 1940s and early 1950s. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=12ur5g18v/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090703%2FSPORTS%2F907030333%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090703/SPORTS/907030333/-1/rss01 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:36:40 +0000 WASHINGTON - Employers cut a larger-than-expected 467,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate climbed to a 26-year high of 9.5 percent. Workers also saw weekly wages fall, suggesting Americans will have little appetite to spend and the economy's road to recovery will be bumpy. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=13087b240/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090703%2FBUSINESS%2F907030346%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090703/BUSINESS/907030346/-1/rss01 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:36:30 +0000 Everybody loves a bargain, and with the current economic situation, more people are looking for them. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=131ddm75p/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090703%2FLIFESTYLE%2F907030342%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090703/LIFESTYLE/907030342/-1/rss01 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:36:20 +0000 Bad credit can cost you - whether or not it is your fault. And it can be more costly during these days of tight credit. The Better Business Bureau continues to see an increase in the number of complaints received about CROs - credit-repair organizations - and it appears that the number of shady CROs also is increasing. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=131pji991/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090703%2FLIFESTYLE%2F907030343%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090703/LIFESTYLE/907030343/-1/rss01 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:36:10 +0000 Heavenly Ham, a business that has been in Hattiesburg for 12 years, changed its name June 16 to Honeybaked Ham and Caf http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/local/Jackson/Hattiesburg_American/SIG=132pdolhq/**http%3A%2F%2Fhattiesburgamerican.com%2Farticle%2F20090703%2FOAKGROVE01%2F907030310%2F-1%2Frss01 http://hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20090703/OAKGROVE01/907030310/-1/rss01 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:36:00 +0000 Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:36:50 +0000