After reaching the finals in the Food Network’s Halloween Baking Championship last year, Renee Loranger knew she could get at least that far again. In 2020, the Waveland resident finished in the top three, and she returned to the show, which aired Sept. 13 to Oct. 25, to face eight other contestants. The last challenge […]
Olivia Gilmore, Donna Burke, Lennon Womble and Mary Beth Geiser embrace after a private ballet lesson Donna Burke may be a dance teacher, but to students like 13-year-old Lennon Womble, she’s also a life coach. Womble, who started training with Burke at age 3, says her instructor has a knack for teaching life lessons along […]
Photography by Brandi Stage Portraiture Makeup by Brittney Johnson | Venue: The House of the Jackson Pearl Take that loungewear off! After a decidedly lowkey holiday season in 2020, we are reclaiming our diva-ness this year. We’ve all been waiting patiently to show off our fiercest outfits, and it’s officially time to step out, sparkle […]
In a society that places so much value on material possessions, it can be easy for kids to take their good fortune for granted. Teaching thankfulness is one of a parent’s most important jobs, especially when many experts have cited a link between being grateful and increased happiness. So how can you cultivate appreciation in […]
Gretchen Holzhauser says she didn’t choose the gaming industry; it chose her. “My parents trained thoroughbred racehorses, so I spent a lot of time on the racetrack — reading racing forms and picking winners with my dad,” recalls the Louisiana native. “It just came naturally that I would end up working in the gaming industry.” […]
While riding by a laundromat one night, Shira Stallworth was troubled by the sight of homeless people freezing and hungry in the cold. The next day, Stallworth, a Moss Point resident, and her daughter brought them blankets and food. “They could not believe that someone, a stranger, cared for them enough to make their life […]
Photography by Brandi Stage Portraiture Interior designer Debbie Batia doesn’t have a particular aesthetic she’s known for. Despite her expertise, the owner of Biloxi-based D. Batia Interiors isn’t one to impose her will or ideas on clients. Instead, from the start of the relationship, she focuses on putting them at ease and listening to their […]
Earline Johnson was adored for her kindness and sweet nature, but it was her determination that ensured her business would thrive for generations. She and her husband, Hardy, opened Johnson Brothers Jewelry Company in 1946 at its current location in downtown Pascagoula. The store was one of six of the same name owned and operated […]
Allanah Turner makes her living fighting fires, but the blaze that burns inside her won’t be extinguished anytime soon. “Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a vessel and influence as many lives as possible,” says the 20-year-old Gulfport native. “I knew I had to start somewhere; why not my community? On Sept. […]
Monica Ladd and her niece, Andria Rodolfich, have long shared a dream of opening their own salon. “The beauty industry has always been in our blood; I had one of the first nail salons in the state of Oregon at a very early age,” says Ladd. In addition to her background in the gaming industry, […]
