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.
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Several departments joined forces Monday to allow Pascagoula firefighters time to pay their respects.
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It seems the builder built the house on the wrong lot and since the builder sold the house, the company stopped paying taxes.
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FEMA’s website says that for South Mississippi, the majority of homes will see a rate increase between zero and $10 a month, but for about 1,700 homes and businesses, the increase will be much higher.
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The road from the Bay Bridge to Old Town was packed with classic cars of all kinds on Thursday as Cruisin’ the Coast came to town.
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For the third time in just over a month, rainstorm caused flooding for some homes in the Riverwalk and River’s Edge subdivisions of Lamey Bridge Road.
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An important reminder is coming from the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport that when you catch a sea turtle while fishing, do not cut the line.
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Small communities pop up all along Highway 90 for the entirety of Cruisin’ the Coast. Strangers become friends with one common bond: a love of cars.
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When the Mississippi Legislature passed a bill allowing for alcohol delivery, Anthony Depreo of Diamondhead got in on the ground floor. He has some experience in the food delivery business and now has launched Booze Cruise.
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Flooding like this has not been an issue until recently, said several residents who have lived in the subdivision for years.
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The data released on Monday is from a study of 2,268 children ages 5 to 11. The results show that the vaccine is safe and produced strong antibodies to fight the novel coronavirus.
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For the second time in three weeks, residents of the River's Edge development in D'Iberville have watched floodwater overwhelm their streets.
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While politicians debate that $1 trillion proposal, South Mississippians are saying it’s easy to see where to spend that money here at home.
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It’s the only hospital in the state so far that hasn’t received contract workers, but MEMA says help is still on the way.
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The hospital is now providing potentially life-saving treatment on an almost industrial scale.
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It’s everything the Mississippi Coast economy has been aiming for, 45 new high-tech jobs, tied to existing university research, the energy industry, and defense.
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The state health department said Wednesday that 75% of the workers have been deployed, but at Memorial Hospital at Gulfport, none have arrived.
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Austin Andrews just wanted to see how high the water had risen on Monday in the River’s Edge neighborhood along the Tchoutacabouffa River. Then he became part of the flood.
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An 80-year-old man killed his 65-year-old roommate before being shot by a Hancock County deputy, said authorities.
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Richard Carter stayed at his Pearlington house during Hurricane Ida. He said he was prepared to get out but, with just over a foot of water inside the house, he felt he was safe.
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In Mississippi, there were several days when less than 100 people were hospitalized. But that all changed very quickly.
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Most of the COVID-19 patients come in through the ER, but the sickest patients end up in the intensive care unit. The staff of the hospital has not grown, only the number of patients.
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The debate over COVID-19 vaccines has brought out strong emotions from people both for and against the shot.
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Most people think when you’re young and healthy, nothing can take you down. However, the COVID-19 delta variant is putting that theory to the test.
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Tessa Williamson had a healthy pregnancy until she tested positive for COVID-19. Just days later, her baby would be delivered safely and she would be in ICU.
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A Kaiser Family Foundation study shows that 75% of people who don’t plan to get vaccinated believe that the vaccine poses a greater risk to their health than COVID-19.
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According to the state department of health, there have been 109 pregnant women hospitalized with COVID-19 in Mississippi since the start of the pandemic. Six of them have died.
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People with weakened immune systems are at the most risk of becoming severely ill from COVID-19, but they are often among those afraid of getting vaccinated.
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Many say they changed their minds as they see more and more patients under the age of 45 being hospitalized in critical condition.
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The demand to test and treat COVID-19 patients means shifting resources.
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Health officials say even fully vaccinated people can still get the virus. However, those who do are less likely to have a severe case and require hospitalization.
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Across South Mississippi, people are beginning to show a greater interest in the COVID-19 vaccines. Still, hospitals remain being overwhelmed by patients who did not get vaccinated.
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Those protection protocols have come from the Department of Defense and the Navy.
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Both Memorial Hospital at Gulfport and Singing River Hospital System have recently expanded the availability of Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody infusions. The recent dramatic rise in positive COVID-19 cases has pushed both institutions beyond their capacity to treat patients.
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Mississippi has seen a 475% increase in hospitalizations in the last three weeks.
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Leaders from the two churches in Soria City helped make it happen.
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Memorial Hospital at Gulfport has closed their main entrance to limit traffic at the hospital.
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More than 40,000 people got protection from the coronavirus last week, up from 20,000 two weeks ago.
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The mayor said he and the board have not discussed requiring city employees to get vaccinated or have weekly tests, but he is very concerned about the potential impact on the city.
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While only 33% of Mississippians have received two COVID-19 vaccinations, 100 Coast residents are receiving their “third” shot.
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The protestors were part of a group of a dozen people who came to the courthouse calling for the passage of the federal Voting Rights Act, a raise of the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and an end to the filibuster.
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On a normal July weekend, The Rack House Restaurant would be filled with customers. Instead, those potential diners are being greeted with a sign announcing to-go orders only for the weekend.
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Gov. Tate Reeves said he will not require masks at schools this year, meaning it’s up to each school district to decide how it will handle the fourth wave.
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Pine Belt Mental Health announced Wednesday they had been awarded a $1.2 million grant to create a diversion facility for mental health patients.
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A recent study on one of those projects says it would decimate the dolphin population in Louisiana’s Barataria Bay, but the projects could affect fisheries in Louisiana and Mississippi, as well.
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When mental health care becomes a crisis situation, finding a place for treatment can become a crisis in itself.
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John Thomas Cearley, 50, was arrested early Monday morning on a charge of possession of burglary tools and a charge of possession of a controlled substance.
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He was more than just a coach and teacher to his students. Kevin Conard was a mentor who left a lasting impact on the Stone County community. He died unexpectedly last week.
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After more than a year of coping with the stress of the pandemic, Singing River Hospital System is enjoying the week-long celebration for National Hospital Week.
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Three Harrison Central alumni are playing for Alcorn State University in the SWAC softball tournament, and those player’s moms were on hand to watch every pitch.
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Research into your family tree can sometimes be a daunting task, however, this weekend at the Biloxi Visitors Center, there is an organization ready to help you learn your family tree.