2022

January 1

• Forrest General Hospital finalized an agreement to take over Perry County General Hospital in Richton

January 13

• FedEx announced it will open a 217,000 square-foot distribution facility at the I-59 Supply Chain Park

January 18

• The Hattiesburg city council voted to adopt Alternate 3 Redistricting Plan, adjusting the bounds of the wards within the city to account for population changes

January 21

• Dr. Rodney Bennett announced he would step down as the president of USM when his contract ends on June 30, 2023

January 24

• The Saenger Theater received a $250,000 grant from the MDAH, which will be combined with $500,000 from the Hattiesburg Convention Commission, to renovate the ceiling of the theater

March 12

• Fat Boy's Pizza opened on Highway 49 in the former La Fiesta Brava building

April 4

• A new mural called The Hattiesbirds debuted on the side of the Campus Book Mart across from USM

April 11

• A new mural located across from Hawkins Elementary called We Are the Future was unveiled

April 12

• Officials at the Hattiesburg Zoo announced that one of the new giraffes was pregnant

April 14

• The large sign outside the Saenger Theater was removed for repair after it was damaged by strong storms overnight

April 19

• A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the eastern half of the Hall Avenue railway overpass project

May 18

• Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe announced it was closing

June 21

• William Carey University announced that its current president, Dr. Raymond Thomas King would retire on August 16, and that Dr. Ben Burnett would become the next president

July 5

• Lamar county supervisors approved a $4.37 million project to widen Lincoln Road to three lanes between Hegwood Road and Lamar Boulevard
• A baby sloth named Lumpawaroo ("Lumpy") was born at the Hattiesburg Zoo to proud parents Chewy and Mo

July 16

• Wal-Mart on Highway 49 was temporarily closed after an electrical fire

July 17

• Milton Waldoff, long-time owner of the Waldoff's department stores, died at the age of 90

July 18

• Dr. Joe Paul became interim president of USM

August 3

• The Hattiesburg Zoo announced Serengeti Springs, a new waterpark located on Hardy Street on the site of the original Cameron Field, with phase 1 expected to be complete in summer 2023

August 4

• Demolition at Cameron Field began to make room for the new Serengeti Springs

August 10

• Corky Palmer, former USM baseball player and coach, died at age 68
• The Hattiesburg Zoo announced that one of its giraffes, Sue Ellen, was not pregnant, but instead had experienced a pseudo-pregnancy

August 12

• Merchants & Marine Bank held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new location under construction at 4607 Hardy Street

August 15

• USM began demolishing Roberts Hall, a former girls dorm

August 21

• The Hattiesburg location of Mac's West, a seafood restaurant located on Highway 98, closed

August 25

• The City of Hattiesburg announced road and sewer improvements along Arlington Loop in midtown

September 6

The Hattiesburg city council voted to enter into a contract with NEVLO LLC to handle food services at Gordon's Creek Commons, as well as approve purchasing land for the project

September 12

• The Petal Board of Aldermen voted to privatize the city's public works department

September 15

An ordinance allowing golf carts on certain public roads, approved by the city council on August 16, went into effect

September 16

• Officials broke ground on the new Jones Capital headquarters in midtown

September 26

The sign above the Saenger Theater returned after being removed for repair and refurbishment

September 27

• The City of Hattiesburg held a ribbon cutting for the new Public Safety Complex

October 7

• Construction on the new roundabout on Hardy Street was completed

October 10

• Dr. Ben Burnett was inaugurated as the new president of William Carey University

October 17

• A female hyena was born at the Hattiesburg Zoo

October 24

• The Mississippi Institutes of Higher Learning announced that Dr. Joe Paul would become the next USM president

November 2

• A new mural called Serenity, painted on the side of the 12th Circuit Drug Court building, was unveiled

November 3

• Ray Guy, a Hall of Fame football player for USM and later the Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders, died at the age of 72

November 8

• Residents in Lamar county voted to end prohibition and allow alcohol sales within the county

November 30

• Billy Hudson, a former Forrest county supervisor, state senator, and Forrest county tax collector, died at age 84

December 3

• Cast and crew of the new movie Devotion, as well as family members of Jesse L. Brown, met for a private reception at the African American Military History Museum and a private screening of the movie at the Saenger Theater

December 6

• The Petal board of aldermen voted to create the Central Business District

December 14

• Heavy rain caused flooding in some parts of Hattiesburg

December 20

• The EPA announced it added the site of the former Hercules plant to the Superfund National Priorities List

Other

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

• Work began replacing the 120 year-old railroad bridge across the Leaf River near Petal River Park in early 2022
• IKKO Japanese Cuisine opened in the former Manola Fajita Factory building in front of Target in February
• Former police chief Frazier Bolton died in March
• Repairs began on some of the plaster on the walls and ceiling of the Saenger Theater in August