Did you miss any of these? Top Sun Herald stories from the weekend of April 18-19
From a beloved Gulf Coast scientist’s death to the reopening of a historic Gulfport hotel, here are the top stories from the Sun Herald over the weekend of April 18-19, 2026.
Here are key takeaways:
• Legendary USM fisheries scientist dies at 83: James S. “Jim” Franks, a senior fisheries scientist at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs, died of pulmonary fibrosis Wednesday. Franks was the lab’s longest-serving employee, starting as a student in 1963, and was a pioneer in understanding cobia, tripletail and coastal pelagic species in the Gulf.
• Markham Hotel set to reopen after 20 years: The Markham Hotel in downtown Gulfport, built in 1926, will welcome its first guests since Hurricane Katrina following a ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 23. The 115-room hotel will offer rooms starting at $139 on weeknights and $189 on weekends.
• Picayune Main Street board addresses vendor’s arrest: The board issued a statement after vendor Steven Michaell Johnson, known as “Scuba Steve,” was arrested for allegedly impersonating a law enforcement officer during the Main Street Festival on April 12. Impersonating an officer is now a felony in Mississippi, carrying up to three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
• Teen bicyclist killed in George County crash: Tyree Bradley, 18, of McLain was struck and killed Friday night while riding on Highway 26 in George County. The Mississippi Highway Patrol said Bradley was hit by a westbound Ford Explorer around 8:15 p.m.
• Hundreds celebrate Songkran at Gautier’s Buddhist temple: The Wat Buddhametta Mahabaremee Buddhist Temple in Gautier hosted its annual Songkran festival Sunday, celebrating Thai New Year with food, dancing and Thai water boxing. Gautier Mayor Casey Vaughn delivered a proclamation recognizing the event.
• Southern Miss QB race remains wide open after spring finale: Ethan Hampton, Landry Lyddy and John White all saw action in Saturday’s final spring scrimmage, but coach Blake Anderson said their numbers are “almost identical.” The Golden Eagles open the season Sept. 5 at home against Alcorn State.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.