2019

January 13

• GattiTown closed

March 15

• Former police chief David Wynn died

March 29

• The Plaid Rhino, a restaurant off of Westover Drive, closed

April 9

• Officials held a ground-breaking ceremony for the new Public Safety Complex.

April 11

• Fred's announced it was closing 159 stores across the country, including one of its Hattiesburg locations off of Broadway Drive

April 21

• Venture Church held its first service at its new gulf coast campus

April 23

• An extra 1% tax on hotels and restaurant sales was approved by 81% of voters in Hattiesburg to pay for various parks and recreation projects

May 10

• Fika Cafe opened in downtown Hattiesburg in the former Depot location

May 16

• Fred's announced it was closing another 104 stores, including its location in Hattiesburg at 5266 Old Highway 11

June 13

• Regions Bank held an official ribbon cutting ceremony for its new mortgage center on Lincoln Road. It opened earlier in the year, moving about 300 employees from its downtown office.

July 18

• William Carey University held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the rebuilt Tatum Court building. The original building was destroyed by the 2017 tornado.

August 17

• Pho Saigon Vietnamese Cuisine opened across from USM on Hardy Street

August 22

• The Daiquiri Dive opened in the former Marlins Bar and Grill building on Highway 49

August 30

• The former home of Oseola McCarty was moved from its original location on Miller Street to a new location on Sixth Street, where it is planned to become a museum

September 3

• The Juicy Crab opened in the former Cheddar's building on Highway 98

October 21

• Parris Jewelers opened a second location at The District at Midtown

November 5

• The Yard Milkshake Bar opened in The District at Midtown

November 8

• Eastside Soul Food Restaurant held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its opening

November 25

• Lottery tickets went on sale in Mississippi for the first time

December 3

• A statue of Vernon Dahmer was unveiled in front of the Forrest county courthouse

Other

These are events that don't have a specific known date

• Bianchi's Pizzeria closed in January
• The Hattiesburg Zoo moved Kuasa, a seven year-old Sumatran tiger, to Dallas to be part of a breeding program in early February
• Georgia Blue, a restaurant in the Westwood Square shopping center, closed in early 2019
• Salad Station opened a second location in midtown in September
• The last Pine Haven buildings on the campus of USM were demolished in November