John Fitzhugh
Multimedia Journalist
Biloxi, MS
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John Fitzhugh has documented South Mississippi for over 31 years as a photojournalist at the Sun Herald newspaper. He is a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in journalism.
He is a native of Jackson, Mississippi. He is married with three daughters and two dogs. He is a big soccer fan and loves the Saints.
Updated: Feb. 14, 2022 at 8:15 AM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Sgt. A. J. Riall was stationed in Iraq when an IED struck the vehicle he was patrolling in, leaving him with chronic back pain. It would be years before he finally was able to get the surgery needed to heal, he said.
Updated: Feb. 10, 2022 at 10:26 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Police Chief Wayne Payne is set to retire next month after more than 47 years in law enforcement.
Updated: Feb. 9, 2022 at 6:16 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
When Michael Davison’s house caught on fire on Saturday, he did the most important thing: get his family out safely.
Updated: Feb. 8, 2022 at 8:04 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
The state legislature will decide how $1.8 billion of the American Rescue Plan Act funding will be spent, and there’s going to be a lot of competition to see which projects will get the money.
Updated: Feb. 7, 2022 at 10:28 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
When Dick Wilson decided to retire from the Air Force, he began a second life serving South Mississippi.
Updated: Jan. 31, 2022 at 8:50 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Several fires broke out in the woods over the weekend, and authorities believe they were set on purpose.
Updated: Jan. 28, 2022 at 9:31 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
More than 18% of Mississippi’s total reported COVID cases have been in children age 17 or younger. That’s just below the national average.
Updated: Jan. 27, 2022 at 7:35 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
The campus is the last major project funded by the district’s $55 million school bond passed in 2018.
Updated: Jan. 27, 2022 at 10:20 AM CST
|By Lindsay Knowles and John Fitzhugh
What was initially believed to be a shooting was later determined to be a drug transaction that ended with a man suffering severe head injuries, said police.
Updated: Jan. 25, 2022 at 6:58 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Four families are without a home or any belongings after the fire at Coast Village Apartments in Gulfport.
Updated: Jan. 24, 2022 at 6:56 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Halter Marine in Pascagoula will double its workforce over the next two years, creating a need for more space beyond the gates of the shipyard, adding to a growing downtown vibe.
Updated: Jan. 19, 2022 at 10:56 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Creating a road between Highway 609 and D’Iberville north of I-10 has been a vision for Jackson County for more than 15 years.
Updated: Jan. 19, 2022 at 6:31 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
As soon as the announcement was made that Ground Zero was opening a location in Biloxi, the calls started coming in. They have come from 33 states. Apparently, a lot of people have always wanted to work for a blues club.
Updated: Jan. 18, 2022 at 10:23 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Gulfport Ward 6 Councilman R. Lee Flowers has been trying to get funding to dredge Richards Bayou north of Interstate 10 since he took office more than 12 years ago.
Updated: Jan. 18, 2022 at 12:44 PM CST
|By Lindsay Knowles and John Fitzhugh
Corri Howard, 36, was found dead in a swamp after a brief police pursuit in Moss Point.
Updated: Jan. 11, 2022 at 6:40 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
The group’s board of directors wanted to take advantage of being dark during COVID-19 to make some needed repairs. The plan was to mortgage the building to pay for repairs, but a zoning issue tripped them up.
Updated: Jan. 10, 2022 at 6:37 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Waveland officials knew that the permitting process to repair Garfield Ladner Memorial Pier after Hurricane Zeta could slow them down, so they got right on it. However, with permits from the Department of Marine Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in hand, FEMA told them not so fast.
Updated: Jan. 7, 2022 at 9:05 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
A Coast domestic violence expert spoke to WLOX about how such a horrific crime could have been prevented.
Updated: Jan. 5, 2022 at 7:42 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
This past year, the Coalition has seen its greatest success by getting 600 people in the six southern counties off the streets. In addition, they administered the federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program which gave $6 million to help keep 1,400 families in Harrison County from being evicted.
Updated: Jan. 4, 2022 at 6:41 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Life as a paramedic or emergency medical technician is fast-paced. It requires not only medical skills but quick thinking and a willingness to work hard.
Updated: Dec. 31, 2021 at 6:44 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Patients were waiting at the door at clinics across the coast Friday morning wanting to get tested for COVID.
Updated: Dec. 29, 2021 at 10:24 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
After 10 days of uncertainty, a group of missionaries from New Manna International Ministries in Pascagoula is finally back home.
Updated: Dec. 29, 2021 at 7:08 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
A boater gave two men some advice on where they could find a good fishing hole, and they paid that kindness back by saving his life.
Updated: Dec. 28, 2021 at 8:19 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Nearly 2,700 new cases Tuesday marks the biggest jump in cases since the summer surge in September, and some medical professionals expect the trend to continue as we head toward the new year.
Updated: Dec. 27, 2021 at 6:45 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Biloxi has a laundry list of water and sewer projects it needs to get done, but the city doesn’t have enough money.
Updated: Dec. 23, 2021 at 11:11 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
The members of the New Manna International Ministries in Pascagoula traveled despite warnings about the new Omicron variant that originated in South Africa.
Updated: Dec. 23, 2021 at 8:28 AM CST
|By John Fitzhugh, Lindsay Knowles and Akim Powell
An officer-involved shooting includes any incident where shots are fired either at or by law enforcement.
Updated: Dec. 21, 2021 at 7:15 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
The 52-year-old semi-retired merchant marine has operated the raccoon sanctuary north of Pass Christian for the last two years.
Updated: Dec. 20, 2021 at 6:35 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
The bridge will improve pedestrian safety and make Jones Park more accessible to downtown visitors.
Updated: Dec. 17, 2021 at 9:36 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
It’s a week before Christmas and all through Ocean Springs shoppers are busy looking for special gifts, and merchants are busy ringing up sales.
Updated: Dec. 16, 2021 at 8:47 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Holiday travel can be hectic and the Travel Security Administration is offering some travel safety tips to help keep your trip on track.
Updated: Dec. 15, 2021 at 10:45 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
The Harrison County Development Commission held a celebration of the year’s success and the significant growth seen at the Industrial Park.
Updated: Dec. 14, 2021 at 6:51 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
It only costs a few cents a month, but when it is multiplied by 72,000, it adds up quickly. The Coast Electric Roundup program provides grants to dozens of organizations helping their communities.
Updated: Dec. 13, 2021 at 6:55 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
The building now known as The Hall was built in the 1930s where it served students from first through eighth grades in just two classrooms.
Updated: Dec. 9, 2021 at 8:05 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Their sign-in sheet for prospective employees at their job fair was blank. For Mark Williamson, CPS Director of Workforce Well Being it was frustrating.
Updated: Dec. 9, 2021 at 7:46 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
A new research-based approach to help children cope with that trauma and re-establish trust is called Trust-Based Relational Intervention or TBRI.
Updated: Dec. 8, 2021 at 9:21 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Wednesday’s announcement about Loaves and Fishes moving temporarily to Back Bay Mission brought that comment out from Back Bay’s James Pennington, but it was much more about the future home of the Biloxi soup kitchen.
Updated: Dec. 6, 2021 at 10:27 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
If approved, 16 multi-story houses would be built, with nine of those being directly on the beach.
Updated: Dec. 2, 2021 at 11:02 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
The omicron variant is forcing preparations for one of the largest health care providers on the Gulf Coast. Memorial celebrated opening a new clinic in Pass Christian, where it didn’t have a presence before.
Updated: Dec. 2, 2021 at 9:17 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
You may be seeing more masks when you’re out shopping this winter, after recommendations from the Biden administration Thursday.
Updated: Dec. 1, 2021 at 7:21 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Restaurateur and developer Jourdan Nicaud’s 902 Howard Avenue project is renovating the old Josette’s building into 21 apartments with a restaurant plus retail space.
Updated: Nov. 30, 2021 at 6:27 AM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
It took Stephen Davis two years to complete the monument that captures who his son Nicholas was and the things he loved the most.
Updated: Nov. 29, 2021 at 7:33 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Pass Christian has a unique quality, defined by the stately mansions on the beach. On Second Street where it meets Menge Avenue, residential merges with commercial, and the latest development there checks both of those boxes, literally.
Updated: Nov. 23, 2021 at 4:54 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Renovations at the Salvation Army in Gulfport are taking longer than expected, and that has the group worried about providing cold-weather shelter for the homeless this winter.
Updated: Nov. 22, 2021 at 7:43 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Gulf Coast Against Mandates has called for a rally for health care workers on December 4, two days before workers nationwide would have to get their first COVID shots in order to be fully vaccinated by the January deadline.
Updated: Nov. 19, 2021 at 6:14 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
The sound of broken glass is not often associated with progress. But it is to the people who are working to restore the old Turkey Creek Head Start Center on Rippy Road in Gulfport.
Updated: Nov. 18, 2021 at 10:16 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
The club teamed up on Thursday with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks to put 25,000 young bream into the Tchoutacabouffa River.
Updated: Nov. 17, 2021 at 8:08 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Bay St. Louis is investing in itself with the help of a grant from the Mississippi Development Authority. City leaders just approved $300,000 match for an MDA grant to improve their Depot District.
Updated: Nov. 15, 2021 at 10:20 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
Now that President Joe Biden has signed the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, states will begin to decide how to spend it.
Updated: Nov. 11, 2021 at 8:12 PM CST
|By John Fitzhugh
It was a day of celebration for the veterans who have bravely served our country. But it also served as a reminder that women are a minority in the military that is not always welcome.
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