• High pressure ridge is shoving moisture up and over South Mississippi

A high pressure ridge that has settled over central Misissippi is forcing moisture up and over South Mississippi, and while North Mississippi is receiving a little extra rain over the average, South Mississippi has been stuck in a dry, hot weather condition that has made and continues to make for brutal weather conditions.

The dry weather almost prompted the Picayune City Council to ban the use of fireworks for the 4th after Fire Marshall Pat Weaver suggested it at Tuesday’s council meeting, but the council only issued a warning, and Weaver said the fire dept. would be on alert over the 4th weekend for grass and woods fires started by fireworks.

Fire officials said anyone starting a fire as a result of popping fireworks would be subject to the city’s fire ordinances, which could result in an arrest and a misdemeanor charge. Starting a fire inside the city limits without a burn permit from the fire dept. is against the law.

The thermometer on the Roseland Park Baptist Church electronic sign read 101 degress on Wednesday, and temperatures here have hovered around 100 each day, with heat indexes reaching 105 to 109 daily. The county has issued a burn ban until the weather changes.

Here’s some selected rainfall amounts between North and South Miss. to show the differences caused by the high pressure ridge:

For June in North Miss.: Sardis Dam 4.86; Iuka 4.39; Oxford 3.81; Starkville 3.03; Holly Springs 2.94; Columbus 2.49 and Tunica 2.13.

In South Miss.: Canton .00; McComb .02; Natchez .04; Jackson .12; Port Gibson .15; Gulfport .20; and Meridian .27.

In Jackson the average rainfall for June is 2.63 in. Jackson has gone 18 straight days without any rain while the temperature has hovered only a degree or 2 below 100.

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss., Saturday, May 23 — Election officials said that Les Fillingame, a former businessman and now city coordinator for the Katrina recovery, has won the Democratic runoff for mayor, held on Tuesday, May 19. He beat Mike Weems, a former coach, 1,036 to 998.

Officials hesitated to declare a winner on Tuesday night and the count stretched into Wednesday with 55 affidavit ballots to be counted. After they were counted, 38 were thrown out, 10 went to Fillingame and 5 to Weems.

Fillingame will now face off in the June 2 General Election  against Republican Lisa Coward, a Hancock Co. supervisor, and Independent Tad Black, a businessman.

Said Fillingame, “Things look good; we think we have a good shot at it; however, we believe the vote will be close.”

The June 2 winner will fill the vacant seat of  popular Mayor Eddie Farve, who is retiring after serving as mayor for 20 years.

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss., Thursday, May 21 — Patricia S. Cuevas, wife of District 5 Hancock Co. supervisor Jay Cuevas, who died on Wednesday, May 13, of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, has been sworn in to her husband’s vacant seat.

A special election has been set for Nov. 3 and Mrs. Cuevas will serve until then.

Funeral services for Cuevas were held on Sunday at the St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in White Cypress Community.

County officials and residents were shocked on news of his death. The Cuevas family is widely known and liked throughout Hancock Co. and the surrounding area.

His son, Lance, was the starting quarterback for the Pearl River Community College Wildcats  in the 2007 season. Cuevas himself was also a graduate of PRCC.

Cuevas, 50, was found dead in a barn near his home, when a deputy sheriff was dispatched to arrest him in connection with a charge concerning some missing fuel.

Cuevas was supposed to show up voluntarily at the sheriff’s office, but when he did not show, a deputy was dispatched to his home. 

Cuevas had served as supervisor for 10 years. He represented mainly the Diamond Head area of northern Hancock.

• Favre ending a 20-year career as popular mayor of Bay St. Louis

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss., May 18 — Democrats Les Fillingame, a businessman and close friend of retiring Mayor Eddie Farvre, faces Mike Weems, a teacher and former coach, in the runoff on Tuesday for mayor.

Farvre has been a popular mayor, has served 20 years but decided not to seek re-election this year. Weems almost won a first primary victory, but Fillingame held on with 35 percent of votes cast to force Weems into a runoff.

The winner of the second Democratic primary on Tuesday will meet an Independent and Republican in the June 2 General Election.

• Found by a deputy dead in his barn on Firetower Rd. near Kiln

KILN, Miss., Wednesday, May 13 — Hancock Co. District 5 Supervisor Jay Cuevas, 50, was found dead today in his barn on Firetower Road near Kiln, Hancock Co. law enforcement officials said.

A Hancock Co. deputy sheriff dispatched to his home to arrest him on a warrant for a petty larcency charge found his body. Cuevas was supposed to voluntarily turn himself in at the Longfellow Road sheriff’s facility but did not show up. A deputy was then dispatched to his farm, authorities said.

His death was confirmed at 3 p.m. today, a sheriff’s dept. spokesman said.

A spokesman for the sheriff’s dept. said the death was an apparent suicide; however, the case is still under investigation.

Picayune is not alone when it comes to budget shortfalls and financial problems.

Reports from Petal say that  city is in the throes of a budget crunch, too. Petal’s budget deficit could reach $1.8 million by September. That figure was based on estimates by a budget expert brought in by city officials to investigate the shortfall. The consultant told the council that his estimate was based on estimated revenues and expenditures expected during the next six months.

The council voted to cut $815,000 from the budget in order to try and bring expenses under control but the consultant said that would probably not be enough since the city is spending about $300,000 per month over what is coming in to city coffers.

Petal officials said the city got in trouble when an “error” occurred that cost the city $500,000 at the first of the year. However, they gave no details about what that error might have entailed. The consultant told the city they could borrow the money to make up the shortfall and then levy a tax that would be dedicated to paying it back over the next year.