The number of people who are jobless has spiked up, but it is apparently still easier to find work along the Gulf Coast than in much of the rest of the state. (Published: July 2008)

Health care and insurance issues are at the top of the presidential campaign agendas, but what’s new locally in health care and how is your business and family affected? Gulf Coast medical service providers see a growing wave that’s all about patient choice. (Published: July 2008)

You’ve saved and sacrificed to build your portfolio, now it’s time your portfolio worked for you. These days, however, investing for retirement isn’t as simple as stashing your life savings in a CD or Treasury bond and living off the interest. (Published: July 2008)

We’ve been proud to include the quarterly Alliance Insight as an insert to The Journal for the past year. The publication is written and edited by business writer David Tortorano for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Alliance for Economic Development, an independent partnership of economic development organizations in the six Mississippi Coast counties. (Published: July 2008)

One CEO’s long-range vision and communication skills have been the prescription his hospital has needed for a healthy bottom line and community image. (Published: July 2008)

I visited my sister and her family last weekend in Auburn, Ala. A great time was had by all, but it was impressive how much damage there was to clean up at the end of the visit. (Published: July 2008)

After participating in a yearlong executive business program sponsored by the Gulf Coast Business Council, Teri Wyly views her role differently in relation to the future growth of her hometown. (Published: July 2008)

Coast Transit Authority officials have reported the bus service has been “overwhelmed” at the number of requests from motorists seeking interurban mass transit service as a preference over rising gasoline prices. (Published: July 2008)

Some new business owners in D’Iberville say they moved to locations that are “easy to get into and out of”; some say their customer base lies within three miles of their business; and some say a lack of congestion appeals to their employees as well as their customers. (Published: July 2008)

The new Mississippi Gulf Coast Sports Commission, which formed earlier this year, producted its first competition, the Gulf Coast Region of USA Volley Beach Series. But that’s just the beginning for the burgeoning industry on the Coast. (Published: July 2008)

Kevin Holland is up to the challenge as Ocean Springs Hospital stands on the brink of a $15 million expansion, creating a 20-bed nursing unit. Holland, named administrator in 2005, calls the healthcare industry one of the highest callings of all the jobs in society and he thrives on the complicated variety involved in running a major medical facility. (Published: July 2008)

Making its “Rising Star of South Mississippi” motto come true is what the Perry County Chamber of Commerce is all about. (Published: July 2008)

As June ended, all eyes were on the financial future of the State Port of Gulfport, which included Congress, Housing & Urban Development officials, Gov. Haley Barbour, the Island View Casino, The New York Times, five Harrison County legislators and Gulfport residents living on Beach Boulevard as far west as Broad Avenue. (Published: July 2008)

It’s the time of year when schools are out for summer vacation and many younger faces are seen behind the counter at local businesses and restaurants. However, it is becoming more and more common to see teenagers working through the school months as well. (Published: July 2008)

Households and businesses are not the only groups finding it difficult to stretch their budgets this summer, with record-high fuel prices and a soft jobs market. Charities are finding greater needs for their services and fewer dollars to meet those needs. (Published: July 2008)

Does money bring happiness? The verdict is still out on that topic. Thirty years ago, Richard Easterlin, an economist with the University of Pennsylvania, asserted that as countries’ wealth increased, it did not make the citizens any happier. (Published: July 2008)