Good morning, Hattiesburg.

Hattiesburg Zoo keeps its animals cool during heat advisories by moving them indoors, behind fans + misters, or into pools.

The zoo trains staff to take breaks in cool areas and offers a splash pad where visitors can refresh.

Amtrak’s Mardi Gras line will mark its one-year anniversary tomorrow, Aug.

18 (after carrying 150,000 riders) on a coastal route from New Orleans to Pascagoula (stopping in Bay St. Louis, Gulfport and Biloxi). Chairman Knox Ross said ridership exceeds expectations and officials are studying adding Ocean Springs as a stop.

Southern Miss professor Andrew Wiest lent his voice to the new Netflix series The American Experiment, reading parts of the Declaration of Independence and portraying founding fathers (Patrick Henry and Patrick Butler).

The five-part series began airing in late June and features actor Martin Sheen as George Washington.

Mississippi lawmakers will debate taxes and environmental regulations on lithium mining during the 2027 session — a move aimed at boosting domestic battery production and economic prospects.

The discussion follows a May report that outlined large-scale extraction potential in the Smackover Formation.

Balm in Gilead Inc., a nonprofit from Virginia, hosted a free lung cancer forum at St. James CME Church to teach local residents about symptoms and side effects, aiming to boost community health awareness.