Spill That Sweet Tea - Mississippi

09/09/2026

09/09/2026

Leaders of the Southeastern Conference will meet Thursday to discuss whether to take the extraordinary step of kicking LSU out of the league in the wake of an ugly feud over whether players who spent time in the NFL should be allowed back on the team’s roster this season.

09/09/2026

🏈 HORNETS ARE ROLLING: POPLARVILLE HAS THE LOOK OF A CONTENDER

After two dominant performances to open the 2026 season, the Poplarville Hornets are beginning to look like a team capable of making another serious run deep into November.

Under head coach Jay Beech, Poplarville has built its identity the old-fashioned way: physical football, a punishing ground attack, disciplined line play and a defense that makes opponents earn every yard.

The Hornets are 2-0 and have outscored their first two opponents 82-7, including a 42-0 shutout of Stone.

And now comes Hancock.

🐝 HANCOCK AT POPLARVILLE — SEPTEMBER 11

This one has a little extra intrigue.

Hancock enters at 1-1, and these teams produced a wild 60-54 shootout last season. But the Poplarville defense we’re seeing through the first two weeks of 2026 looks considerably different.

The Hornets have surrendered only 7 points all season.

🔮 OUR EARLY PREDICTION:
Poplarville 38 — Hancock 14

The biggest key should be Poplarville’s running game. With playmakers such as Kayden Bradford and Tylan Keys, the Hornets have the personnel to keep pounding away, control possession and gradually wear down Hancock’s front seven.

If Poplarville establishes the run early and its defense forces Hancock into obvious passing situations, the Hornets should have an opportunity to take control and move to 3-0.

🔥 THE BIG TEST: PICAYUNE — SEPTEMBER 25

Circle this one.

Poplarville vs. Picayune remains one of those South Mississippi matchups where records and classifications don’t tell the entire story.

Picayune is now competing in Class 6A, but the Maroon Tide remains one of the area’s most physical programs. Both teams believe in running the football, controlling the line of scrimmage and making the opponent survive four quarters of physical football.

For Poplarville, this should be the ultimate non-region measuring stick.

If the Hornets can slow Picayune’s rushing attack and create third-and-long situations, Poplarville should have a legitimate opportunity to leave with a statement victory.

🏆 REGION 7-4A OUTLOOK

Poplarville has every reason to enter region play believing it can contend for the championship.

McComb and South Pike bring plenty of athletic ability and speed, but Poplarville’s advantage could come from its discipline, physicality and ability to control possession.

Columbia brings its own winning tradition and dangerous athletes. That matchup could become a test of depth, particularly along the offensive and defensive fronts.

Then there’s Lawrence County on October 23 — a game that could carry major region implications. With both programs comfortable playing physical, option-oriented football, turnovers, field position and ex*****on in the trenches could decide that one.

🐝 THE BOTTOM LINE

Poplarville isn’t just winning right now.

The Hornets are imposing their style of football on opponents.

They’ve scored 82 points while allowing only 7.

They can run the football.

They can control the clock.

And through two games, that defense has been downright stingy.

There’s a long way to go, and September championships don’t exist. But after two weeks, Poplarville certainly looks like a team with legitimate Region 7-4A, South State and State Championship aspirations.

First things first:

🏈 HANCOCK AT POPLARVILLE
📅 Friday, September 11
🔮 Prediction: Poplarville 38, Hancock 14

Can the Hornets make it 3-0?

09/09/2026

🕯️ TWO LIVES REMEMBERED

A Prayer for Gulfport

On a Monday meant for rest,
beneath a warm September sky,
an ordinary morning became a day
our Gulf Coast will not soon forget.

Two people left their homes that morning,
never knowing goodbye had already been spoken.

Shane Basquill, only 31,
went to work as he had so many times before.
A son, a friend, a coworker—
a young man with years still waiting before him,
dreams still unfinished,
memories still waiting to be made.

Mary Anne Oberlies, 78,
walked through the door as a customer,
simply living an ordinary day—
a day that should have ended
with her returning safely home
to the people who loved her.

Instead, in a few terrible moments,
two lives were taken,
families were forever changed,
and strangers became united in grief.

There are moments when words seem too small.
When we are sorry cannot possibly carry
the weight of another family’s sorrow.
When all we can do is stand beside them,
bow our heads,
and pray.

We pray for Shane’s family—
for strength when the empty chair is noticed,
when the telephone no longer rings,
and when memories bring both smiles and tears.

We pray for Mary Anne’s family—
for comfort in the quiet hours,
for peace when grief feels unbearable,
and for the reassurance that a lifetime of love
cannot be erased by one terrible moment.

We pray for the employees and customers
who witnessed what no one should ever have to see,
and for those who helped others escape to safety
when fear filled the room.

And tonight, we pray for Gulfport.

May our community remember
that violence may take a life,
but it cannot take away the love that life created.

So let two names rise above the tragedy:

Shane Basquill.
Mary Anne Oberlies.

Not simply victims in a headline.
Not simply names in a police report.

They were people.
They were loved.
They mattered.

May God hold them close,
comfort every heart that mourns them,
and surround their families with a peace
that only He can provide.

Our deepest prayers are extended
to the families and loved ones of Shane and Mary Anne
following this horrifying and heartbreaking tragedy.

May we never forget their names.

Rest in peace, Shane and Mary Anne. 🕯️

Gulfport remembers.
The Mississippi Gulf Coast remembers.
And tonight, we pray together. 🙏

09/07/2026

🚨 DEVELOPING: TWO DEAD IN GULFPORT SHOPPING CENTER SHOOTING

Authorities continue to investigate a deadly shooting at the Crossroads Parkway shopping area in Gulfport, Mississippi, where two people were killed and one person was taken into custody.

Here’s what has been confirmed so far:

* 📍 LOCATION: Crossroads Parkway shopping area near Highway 49 in Gulfport.
* 🕦 TIME: Law enforcement responded shortly before 11:30 a.m.
* 🔴 TWO FATALITIES: The Harrison County Coroner’s Office has confirmed that two people were pronounced dead at the scene.
* 🕯️ VICTIMS: Their identities are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
* 🚔 ONE PERSON IN CUSTODY: Authorities apprehended one person at the scene and took that individual into police custody.
* 🔎 ACTIVE INVESTIGATION: Gulfport Police detectives and crime-scene technicians are processing the scene, collecting evidence and reviewing available security footage.
* 📸 EVIDENCE AT THE SCENE: Photographs show investigators collecting evidence outside the shopping center. Another photograph shows apparent damage to the glass of a storefront door or window.
* 🚧 AREA SECURED: Police have secured portions of the shopping center while investigators process evidence and interview witnesses.
* ❓ MOTIVE UNKNOWN: Authorities have not publicly announced a motive for the shooting.
* ⚠️ ADDITIONAL SUSPECTS: Officials have not publicly confirmed whether anyone else is being sought.

🔴 THIS REMAINS AN ACTIVE AND DEVELOPING INVESTIGATION

Details could change as detectives continue their investigation. The circumstances leading up to the shooting have not yet been fully released.

We will continue to provide updates as Gulfport Police, the Harrison County Coroner’s Office and other authorities release confirmed information.

09/07/2026

09/07/2026

🚨 DEVELOPING: TWO DEAD IN GULFPORT SHOPPING CENTER SHOOTING

Authorities are investigating a deadly shooting at the Crossroads Parkway shopping area in Gulfport. The Gulfport Police Department and Harrison County officials have confirmed two fatalities, while one person has been taken into custody.

Here’s what has been confirmed so far:

* 📍 Location: Crossroads Parkway shopping area near Highway 49 in Gulfport, Mississippi
* 🕦 Time: Law enforcement responded shortly before 11:30 a.m.
* 🔴 Fatalities: The Harrison County Coroner’s Office has confirmed two people were pronounced dead at the scene
* 🕯️ Victims: Their identities are being withheld pending notification of next of kin
* 🚔 Suspect: One person was apprehended at the scene and taken into police custody
* 🔎 Investigation: Gulfport Police detectives and crime-scene technicians are processing evidence and reviewing available security footage
* 📸 Evidence: Photographs from the scene show evidence markers outside a storefront and apparent damage to a glass door/window
* 🚧 Scene Status: Police have secured the area while investigators collect evidence and interview witnesses
* ❓ Motive: Authorities have not publicly released a motive
* ⚠️ Additional Suspects: Officials have not yet publicly confirmed whether anyone else is being sought

This remains an active and developing investigation. Information may change as detectives continue their work.

We will provide additional updates as Gulfport Police, the Harrison County Coroner’s Office or other authorities release confirmed information.

09/07/2026

⛈️ NORTHERN GULF COAST WEATHER UPDATE

Southeast Louisiana • Southern Mississippi • Southwest Alabama
Monday, September 7, 2026

We’re starting Labor Day hot, humid and loaded with Gulf moisture, but our attention turns northward later this afternoon as thunderstorms begin developing and working south toward the Gulf Coast.

🌡️ HOT BEFORE THE STORMS

Temperatures will climb well into the 90s before thunderstorms arrive, with heat-index readings potentially reaching 108° to 112° in some locations.

A Heat Advisory remains in effect from 11 AM until 7 PM.

⛈️ STORMS APPROACHING FROM THE NORTH

The main window to watch appears to be late afternoon into early evening, as scattered thunderstorms develop farther north and gradually push southward into southern Mississippi, southeast Louisiana and portions of southwest Alabama.

Coverage probably won’t be uniform, but any stronger storms could pack quite a punch.

• Strong, gusty winds
• Isolated damaging downbursts
• Frequent lightning
• Torrential tropical rainfall
• Localized street and poor-drainage flooding

There is some drier air aloft sitting above a very warm and humid lower atmosphere. That favors strong downdrafts as thunderstorms collapse, so damaging wind gusts will be the primary concern with the strongest cells.

🌧️ TROPICAL MOISTURE STAYS WITH US

Precipitable-water values are running above 2 inches closer to the Gulf Coast, so thunderstorms will be capable of producing tremendous rainfall rates for short periods.

The atmosphere becomes even wetter Tuesday through Thursday as the upper ridge gradually weakens.

That should bring increasing afternoon thunderstorm coverage Wednesday and Thursday, along with more clouds and somewhat lower afternoon temperatures.

🌀 TROPICS QUIET — BUT DON’T GO TO SLEEP

The Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf remain quiet from an organized tropical standpoint.

That’s certainly good news, especially considering we’re reaching the climatological peak of hurricane season.

But quiet today doesn’t necessarily mean quiet two or three weeks from now.

One feature we’re watching carefully is the Madden-Julian Oscillation — the MJO.

The MJO is essentially a large-scale pulse of enhanced and suppressed tropical thunderstorm activity that moves through the global tropics. Current guidance suggests this signal could eventually progress toward the Western Hemisphere later in September.

If that happens, the background environment could become somewhat more favorable for tropical waves to organize across portions of the Atlantic.

However, there’s another important player this year:

El Niño.

El Niño continues to exert a strong influence on the tropical atmosphere, and the associated upper-level wind pattern can increase wind shear across portions of the Atlantic basin.

So even if the MJO becomes more favorable later this month, that does not automatically mean hurricanes will develop.

It simply tells us the tropical background state may become more interesting.

📌 BOTTOM LINE

• Hot and extremely humid through early afternoon
• Heat indices potentially 108°–112°
• Thunderstorms approach from the north late afternoon/early evening
• Strong downburst winds possible
• Tropical downpours likely underneath stronger storms
• Wetter pattern develops Tuesday through Thursday
• No immediate tropical development concerns
• MJO bears watching later in September
• El Niño and wind shear remain important limiting factors

For now, there’s nothing to chase and nothing to hype.

Enjoy the quiet tropics while we have them, but don’t put away the hurricane supplies just yet. September is the heart of the season, and we’ll continue watching the pattern rather than individual long-range model runs.

Facts, not fear. Accuracy over first.

09/06/2026

🏨 IMAGINE A BOUTIQUE HOTEL IN THE HEART OF POPLARVILLE

I’ve always looked at this beautiful old building and imagined what it could become with the right vision and investment.

Picture it transformed into a charming Poplarville Boutique Hotel & Event Space — preserving the historic red-brick character while giving it new life as a destination for both visitors and our community.

✨ THE VISION

• Beautiful boutique guest rooms upstairs
• Elegant event space downstairs
• Weddings, receptions and rehearsal dinners
• Class reunions, birthday celebrations and private parties
• Business meetings and community gatherings
• A welcoming lobby filled with local history and photographs
• Outdoor courtyard with string lights, landscaping and seating
• Classic Southern décor that complements the historic architecture
• Local artwork and touches celebrating Poplarville and Pearl River County
• Walking-distance lodging right in the heart of town

🏛️ PRESERVING A PIECE OF POPLARVILLE

Rather than tearing down an older building, this would be about adaptive reuse — keeping the character and history of the structure while creating something completely new inside.

I could picture the downstairs becoming one of the most beautiful small event venues in Pearl River County, while the upstairs offers an intimate boutique-hotel experience you simply can’t get from a traditional chain hotel.

💚 HISTORY • HOSPITALITY • COMMUNITY

Poplarville has so much small-town charm. Something like this could give visitors a unique place to stay while also providing local families with a beautiful place to celebrate life’s special occasions.

And yes… if I had a million dollars lying around, I believe I’d jump on this opportunity. 😂

Sometimes all it takes is somebody looking at an old building and seeing not what it is, but what it could be.

Stay. Celebrate. Gather. Right here in Poplarville. 🏨✨