Latest news with #Rigsby
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How big is the new MS Buc-ee's? When does it open? How many gas pumps, electric chargers?
If you've never been to a Buc-ee's Travel Center, there's one thing you've got to know. Buc-ee's isn't just a destination — it's an experience. That experience will be closer to home now that Buc-ee's is opening a travel center in Mississippi. The grand opening is set for Monday, June 9. Buc-ee's is located off Interstate 10 at the Menge Avenue exit in Pass Christian. "We're known for being an experience for people to come and enjoy that's going to be clean, safe, and a place where family can all have a good time," said Richard Shires, general manager of the Robertsdale, Alabama travel center. Meadie Rigsby, a New Orleans native who lives in Magee, was at the Robertsdale store when we visited. She said Shires' opinion is spot-on. Rigsby was on her way home from Florida, where she was visiting family. "I try to stop by here every time I come through," she said. "You can't help but stop. You always see something new, and you always see somebody you know. Even if you don't know them, everybody is smiling when you walk in here. It's just something to see." Mississippians like Rigsby will have the opportunity to enjoy the Buc-ee's experience at home once the Mississippi center opens. To prepare visitors ahead of the grand opening, we recently visited the Robertsdale Buc-ee's (also known as the Loxley store), to get a closer look at what the hype is all about. Shires said it's the friendliness and the cleanliness that make visitors enjoy the Buc-ee's experience, but there is a whole lot more. "We have great food, great merchandise and Buc-ee-branded merchandise," Shires said. "Some people number all the Buc-ee's they've been to. Some have been to all of them, and they have all the destination shirts that they show off." Consistency between locations and between visits is important to Buc-ee's, too, according to Shires. The company wants to make sure their customers get the same great service every time they visit, whether it's at the same location or one they've never been to before. When the Pass Christian location opens, there will be 34 Buc-ee's travel centers. Two more are set to open by the end of summer, Shires said. That's a lot of T-shirts. Whether you're on the road passing through the state or just getting gas after work, the travel center is big enough to handle it all. First off, you'll notice how big Buc-ee's is compared with other travel centers. The Mississippi location is roughly 74,000 square feet — 20,000 square feet bigger than the Robertsdale location. Shires said the Mississippi store will have three entrances, larger restrooms and well, just more of what the store in Robertsdale has to offer. There are 120 pumps, which means there is rarely a long wait to fill up. And, while buses and RVs are allowed, 18-wheelers are not. For those of you with EVs, not to worry. There are not one, not two, but 24 charging stations. While you're filling up the gas tank, the rest of the family can wander inside. This is where the fun begins. Anywhere you look, there will be rows and rows of well, everything: Food, clothing, outdoor furniture, grills, toys, and more. Shires said he estimates visitors will spend between 30 and 45 minutes inside the travel center, looking at all the products, using the restroom, getting a bite to eat, and migrating to their favorite areas. "They get sidetracked," Shires said. "They can get broken away from their parties and have to find them." One thing that doesn't take up customers' time inside a Buc-ee's? Waiting in like to check out at the cash register, Shires said. "It's a very fast experience once they get to that part," he said. Veterans of Buc-ee's know the Beaver Nuggets are the most popular snacks at the travel centers. They're great for munching on long road trips or gifting to friends. There are rows and rows of various candies, chips and other snack foods, some with the Buc-ee's brand, which is continuously expanding, Shires said. Gummies, chocolates, jelly beans, taffy, hard candy, sours — you name it, Buc-ee's has it. Same goes for snacks. Potato chips, roasted nuts, cheese puffs, all come in a variety of flavors that will please just about any palate. Jerky fans will be pleased to know there is a wall of jerky with roughly 20 varieties to choose — or should we say chews — from. Want something a little extra for snacking on? Wander to the center of the store, where most of the action is, and your taste buds will be heightened by the scent of roasted nuts, fresh-made fudge, kolaches and more. Whether you like chocolate, with or without nuts, peanut butter, rocky road or other fudge flavors, you pick your own for a sampler box or buy just a few for the road. The fudge is made in-house, so it's always fresh. Brook Hill and Bayleigh Hill, both of Laurel, were at the fudge counter, where they were trying to decide which of the 22 flavors to buy. They were on their way to Disney World in Florida when they stopped at Buc-ee's for a break. "We thought, just go ahead and get the fudge, you'll walk it off," Bayleigh said. The Hills were off to the meat counter next, where they were looking forward to getting a fresh-made sandwich. "We didn't even eat before we left," Brook said. "We said we'd eat when we got to Buc-ee's. Their meat is the best." Same goes for the roasted pecans, cashews and other nut varieties. You can also buy prepackaged nuts and fudge in the snack area for convenience, but those are made off-site. You might be wondering, what's a kolache? It's a pastry filled with something sweet or something savory that originated in the Czech Republic and popular in Texas where Buc-ee's originates. It's a little more dense than a Danish pastry, but very similar in appearance. Pre-packaged desserts and fresh snacks are nearby for easy pick up or you can find some hot apple pie on a stick at the Texas Roundup station. While Buc-ee's doesn't have a sit-down restaurant, you can get fresh-cooked brisket, smoked turkey or pulled pork sandwiches to enjoy on the road. Pick up some Beaver Chips to go with your sandwich and you've got the makings of a hot meal. "The food — oh gosh, you can't help but get something in here," Rigsby said. Jeff Wilson, who lives in Stugeon Lake, Minnesota, about 30 miles south of Duluth, was coming from Perdido Key, Florida, with his wife to pick up lunch at Buc-ee's, even though it was about an hour to an hour and a half drive. It was the couple's third trip. The sandwiches are prepared in an open kitchen where customers can pick up pre-made ones sitting under the food warmer or wait for the "fresh brisket on the board" from the Texas Roundup station. There are tacos, burritos and more served hot and fresh, too. With its roots in Texas, Buc-ee's wouldn't be Buc-ee's without them. Specialty hot sauces can make great additions to your kitchen or fun gifts for family and friends. You can choose from the many Buc-ee's brand hot sauce flavors to pack away for the trip home. There is a barbecue sauce at Buc-ee's, too, but it only comes in one flavor since it's Buc-ee's signature sauce. Dry rubs and special seasoning blends can be found at Buc-ee's, too. Pickled products with everything from cucumbers to jalapenos to quail eggs also fill store shelves. Other items to help you ramp up your culinary skills may be found throughout the store, including cutting boards, kitchen or grill utensils and serving dishes to elevate the at-home experience. Dinnerware and glassware in a variety of styles are also kept in stock. Humorous signs and other accessories add the perfect accents to the kitchen or patio. Buc-ee's even has books that show you how to make your favorite cocktail, whether it's a martini, a mule or a mango margarita. Toys, sporting goods, outdoor cooking and camping equipment are among the many, many things customers can buy at Buc-ee's that can fill the hours with fun. Books, boogie boards and board games can help vacationers pass the time while in between activities. Nine-year-old Scarlet Stender of Piggott, Arkansas, was looking at some of the Buc-ee's clothing, jewelry and stuffed animals, smiling from ear-to-ear. "I want everything," she said. "There's so much fun stuff." Even though it was Scarlet's first time at the Robertsdale store, she's been to a Buc-ee's before, when her family visited the Fort Worth, Texas, area. Well, Buc-ee's doesn't have a spa, but what it has will make you feel like you visited one. Handmade soaps, lotions and candles in many scents fill the spa section of Buc-ee's. Neck warmers and pillows, terry cloth robes and comfy slippers, hair accessories, makeup mirrors and other accessories finish off the spa experience. Clothing for men, women and children, both with and without the Buc-ee's brand fill the store, outfitting the entire family from the newborns to the great-grandparents. Each Buc-ee's has its own special shirts bearing the location and Buc-ee's brand, which can be given as gifts or kept for souvenirs. Wilson said he and his wife bought some hats and T-shirts to take home for friends. His wife also bought a few outfits for the couple's new grandchild. If you don't feel like you've had a day at the mall, you haven't had a full Buc-ee's experience. But don't worry. It takes time to become a Buc-ee's veteran. Visit the travel centers a few times and you'll get the hang of it. Just remember to set yourself a budget or you could end up in a beaver stew. The restrooms have attendants who make sure the facilities are clean. Artwork by local artists lines the hallway to the restrooms. The paintings are for sale if anyone takes a fancy to them. "We're known for our clean restrooms," Shires said. Customers aren't the only ones who have a good time at Buc-ee's. The company wants its employees to enjoy the experience just as much as the customers do, Shires said. Amanda Lott, who has been working at the Robertsdale store for about a year. She said she likes working at Buc-ee's because it's always busy and she gets to meet new people. "People are coming from all over the world," she said. "It's really neat." The company does its best to hire people who are a good fit, and there is very little turnover. "You have people who want to be here and are in such good moods," Shires said. "It keeps the customers coming back." Employees are paid top wages, another perk to working at Buc-ee's, but it also makes the hiring process more selective. "We want to pay them what they're worth," Shires said. "We want to show that we appreciate them as a company. "We're focused on their experience as well as the customers." Lici Beveridge is a reporter for the Hattiesburg American and Clarion Ledger. Contact her at lbeveridge@ Follow her on X @licibev or Facebook at This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: When is Buc-ee's in Mississippi opening?
Miami Herald
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
‘How absurd is that?': Pope Leo XIV, once just a Villanova student named Bob, is a Wildcats basketball fan
Whitey Rigsby had just landed in Chicago to attend a Villanova function and was still on the plane when his wife, Becky, called after the white smoke rose from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel. The pope wasn't just an American, he was a Villanovan. And Becky, who works at a home for older nuns at Immaculata, held her phone in the air so her husband could hear the nuns, some of whom had attended Villanova, scream and cheer. Rigsby, who played basketball for Villanova in the 1970s while Bob Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, was a student, was wearing a Villanova shirt on the plane and had a few people come up to him in the airport. Later that night, surrounded by a bunch of Villanovans, the group toasted champagne in the pope's honor. It is quite a remarkable thing to have attended the same school as the pope, but the realization came quickly to Rigsby and the rest of his Wildcats teammates. The pope probably sat in the stands at Jake Nevin Field House and watched Rigsby and the Wildcats play basketball in the nascent stages of the Rollie Massimino era. Rigsby, who graduated in 1978, one year after Prevost, didn't know Prevost when they were students. "Even though we didn't know him, I guess it sounds cocky, but he knew us," Rigsby said. "Everybody in those days went to all the games, so I'm sure he was at games watching us play. He's a sports fan." In the days after Prevost was elected to the papacy, evidence of his sports fandom has emerged. The Chicago native was on the television broadcast rooting for his White Sox during the 2005 World Series. Memes, there have been plenty. Rigsby has a favorite, one with the pope's face on a No. 14 Villanova jersey. Rigsby wore No. 14 with the Wildcats, and he's used that meme to tell his friends and teammates that the pope was a fan of his. "But no one is buying that," said Rigsby, who calls Wildcats basketball games on the radio and works for the school as a gift officer. Especially not his former teammate, roommate, and longtime friend Joe Rogers, who was in the same class as Prevost at Villanova. "I wish he prayed for Whitey to play a little bit better, that's the first thing," Rogers joked. "We might have won a few more games." The Wildcats took their lumps during the first three years of Massimino's run, but they finally reached the NIT during Rogers' and Prevost's senior year. Rigsby helped lead Villanova to the Elite Eight the following season. The news came in waves to Rogers. First, the pope was American, which on its own was a big deal. Then he learned it was a Villanova grad. Then, a classmate. "You talk about different paths of life, right?" Rogers said. "We all go to school, and everybody ends up doing something for a living. To find out one of the guys you went to school with ended up being the pope, that's pretty unreal." 'He was paying attention' For the past two decades, Rev. Rob Hagan has sat at the end of the men's basketball bench as the team chaplain. But before he was a senior associate athletic director overseeing student-athlete welfare, and after the Villanova graduate spent the first part of his professional life as a lawyer, Hagan was an Augustinian novice who spent a year of novitiate in Racine, Wisc., in the late 1990s. At the time, Prevost was assuming a new role: Prior Provincial of the Order of St. Augustine's Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel, based in Chicago. That's when Hagan's path crossed with Prevost's for the first time. "You don't have to be around him very long before you discover he's really smart," Hagan said. "He's a very clear and logical thinker. He communicates with great clarity, speaks multiple languages, and at the same time, he spent the bulk of his life serving in Peru with the poorest of the poor. He has a certain intellectual capacity coupled with a real compassion and empathy." Hagan was surprised that Prevost was interested in Hagan's road to the priesthood. Prevost has a canon law degree and wanted to learn about Hagan's work in civil law and his work prior to entering the order. "I found him to be very down-to-earth, and I think that people are going to experience him the same way," Hagan said. "With all the pomp and circumstance that goes with that office, I think people are going to experience him as relatable and easy to understand. "He's very much in solidarity with the worker. He's in solidarity with the laborer. He's in solidarity with the poor. I think people are going to experience him that way, even though he has this big leadership position. I think he's going to very much be a person among the people. "As (Pope) Francis said, a shepherd should smell like the sheep." At the very least, this pope smells like a Villanova basketball fan. When Villanova would make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, Prevost, while in Peru, joined group chats with former classmates. "There was no question that when we had that run in '16 and '18, when our paths would cross, he would ask about it, talk about how exciting it was, and what a great thing it was for Villanova and what an incredible team and togetherness that they displayed," Hagan said. "That was real. He was aware. He was paying attention." Walking the same path Prevost's rise to the papacy has been a uniting occurrence. Old Villanova friends have reconnected over their shared amazement. Rogers has heard from people who aren't even Villanovans, like La Salle assistant coach Joe Mihalich, who texted him the other day to see if he knew Prevost. Rogers has heard from friends from middle school with the same question. "It's just unbelievable to think we may have eaten in the same dining hall for four years and I didn't know him," Rogers said. "To think that maybe we were in a couple of classes together. I could've been in a religion class with him and heard him speak many times." Current students on campus are enjoying the idea of sharing that same link. "They're walking on some of the paths that he walked on, studying in some of the same classrooms that he studied in, praying in some of the same chapels in the church that he did, eating in some of the same dining halls that he did," Hagan said. "There's a certain connection and relatability to him that I think is really inviting to people, particularly as American Catholics. We all have a lot of friends who are kind of lapsed, maybe not as into religion and the church, and then you meet somebody like this who roots for the Wildcats, roots for the White Sox, loves deep-dish Chicago-style pizza. It brings it down to a little bit more of a relatable, connecting yourself to the faith and the values that were cultivated right here in places that we go." Like basketball games. There are no photos of Prevost at games, but there's reason to believe he was there. Even if he wasn't, Hagan pointed to the values that shaped Prevost as being the same values that are at the base of everything at Villanova, basketball included. "At Villanova, we would expect that truth, unity, and love are going to permeate the business school and the history department," Hagan said. "And in the case of athletics, I think Jay (Wright) would attest to this, those values are the values that permeated the team. "It's not just that we won, but how we played. We talk about things like we play for each other, or we play for those who came before us." For Jalen Brunson. For Randy Foye. For Rigsby and Rogers. For the new pope. "That is just awesome," Rogers said. "The pope is just held in such high esteem. You would never think that he went to your school, and maybe he was a fan who attended your games." Not just attended, maybe even prayed for, and probably cheered. "I hope he cheered," Rigsby said. "I hope he wasn't (one of) the many people (who) booed me. Think about that. I'm a dopey kid who grew up in New York City, and the pope watched me play. How absurd is that?" _____ Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers and a pastor weigh in on Ten Commandments bill passing House
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — House Bill 178, which would mandate public schools to display the Ten Commandments, passed the House Thursday and is heading to the Senate. 'Religious freedom must apply to everyone, not just the majority… The idea that our nation's moral decline can be reversed simply by posting the Ten Commandments in schools is, frankly, misguided. Morality is not restored by hanging religious texts on walls—it is demonstrated by how we live out our faith and moral convictions. It is easier to post the Ten Commandments than to embody their principles.' Travis Collins, First Baptist Church Huntsville Senior Pastor Friends, colleagues remember two local men killed in boat crash on Lewis Smith Lake Travis Collins is a part of that so-called religious majority, but the above quote is an excerpt from a letter he sent to lawmakers in February asking them not to support the bill mandating the Ten Commandments. 'Our government should serve all citizens equally, neither promoting nor prohibiting religion,' Collins told News 19. 'The First Amendment guarantees that…My question to much of those who want it is: If these were the five pillars of Islam, would we want them in our public schools? 99 out of 100 people would say 'no'.' Despite his efforts, the bill passed the House on Thursday. Representative Phillip Rigsby (R-Madison), a sponsor of the bill, said he believes the bill would give schools a sense of direction. Rigsby added that he does not believe it oversteps the line on the separation of church and state. Hazel Green High School adding 12 new classrooms with 20,000 square foot addition 'We don't want to disrespect or ignore the beliefs that we were founded upon,' Rigsby said. 'In no way is this establishing religion in the schools. I think it gives us a good, at the very minimum, moral compass.' He added that the bill offers flexibility. 'It does not go in every classroom,' Rigsby said. 'I've heard some rumors about that, and it's just one location inside the school.' On the other side of the aisle, House Minority Leader Representative Anthony Daniels (D) Huntsville, is concerned about who will pay for the displays. 'He said there's some private individuals that are interested,' Daniels said. 'And I said, well, what if you're unable to raise the money to get private individuals to do this? Because it's mandatory, that means the school system will be responsible for it.' The courts have ruled this practice unconstitutional in cases of Kentucky and Louisiana. Daniels said he believes this bill would also go up to the courts if signed by Governor Ivey. 'We've been down this road before, where we see the Alabama legislature in general, individuals introduce pieces of legislation that they know will be deemed as unconstitutional,' Daniels said. 'And so yet again, we're costing our taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions of dollars, unnecessarily when we know that this has been struck down other places.' The bill still has to pass the Senate before being sent to Governor Ivey's desk. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama House votes to make human cloning a felony
Rep. Phillip Rigsby, R-Huntsville, speaks to colleagues on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on Feb. 11, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The House passed Rigsby's bill to criminalize human cloning on April 9, 2025. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday criminalizing human cloning 71-4, with 22 abstentions. HB 380, sponsored by Rep. Phillip Rigsby, R-Huntsville, makes it a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, to engage in human cloning. Rigsby said during a brief debate on Wednesday that he is not aware of any human cloning happening in Alabama or the United States, but he said that is the direction science is going. 'We stand at a crossroads in science ethics and human dignity. The prospect of human cloning, once confined to science-fiction, now challenges us to make a firm moral and legal stand,' Rigsby said. 'While technological advances have provided humanity with remarkable medical breakthroughs, not all scientific possibilities align with what is ethical, just and safe.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The legislation defines human cloning as 'asexual reproduction.' Rep. Ernie Yarbrough, R-Trinity, expressed concern on how the legislation would affect in vitro fertilization (IVF). 'In theory, it could happen accidentally,' Yarbrough said. 'This is saying you can't be intentionally trying to do so?' Rigsby said the legislation includes a provision exempting IVF from the definition of asexual reproduction. 'They just wanted to make sure that their practices did not fall under what they do as cloning,' Rigsby said. The crime includes those cloning humans, and anybody that participates in human cloning, including transportation of a cloned cell, according to the bill. House Democrats criticized the legislation for being unnecessary. Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, questioned if other states have similar laws. 'I just didn't know if mass cloning was going on,' she said. 'I don't know of anything or anybody that I've ever seen come through Alabama that I'd want to clone.' Rep. A.J. McCampbell, D-Demopolis, echoed Givan. 'This sounds like science-fiction, cloning people,' he said. Rigsby said his bill is modeled after a 2003 law in Arkansas. Rigsby proposed a floor amendment to exclude university research on human organs. It passed 79-1. 'We have some universities that are doing some research on organs and they were a little concerned about line 38, 'generate all or most of the body tissues of a living organism,'' Rigsby said. The bill now goes to the Alabama Senate. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alabama House passes bill lawmakers say could save drugstores
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — Every time you fill a prescription, you might not know your pharmacist has to pay a price to get it to you. Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, play a large part in how much money pharmacies get back for making that happen. Lawmakers are cracking down on PBMs and said they want to help main street drug stores make ends meet. 'We've got relationships with those patients, and we're having to explain to them why their pharmacy is disappearing,' said Josh Hardin, pharmacist and owner of Mills Pharmacy in Hoover. 'So it was a hard decision, but it was one that we ultimately had to make.' Hardin said that decision was shutting down one of his drug stores last year. He said PBMs have made it difficult for some to stay open. 'We're essentially competing with the companies that administer the pharmacy benefit for your insurance,' Hardin said. 'They have their own pharmacy operations.' Pharmacies like Hardin's have caused the legislature to take action. Representatives passed a bill Tuesday requiring PBMs to reimburse pharmacies at least $10.64 on every prescription. That's the Medicaid reimbursement rate. State Rep. Phillip Rigsby (R-Huntsville), who sponsored the bill in the House, said it makes it fair for every pharmacy. Fiancé of Alireza Doroudi says days since his arrest by ICE outside University of Alabama campus have 'pushed us past our limits' 'So I think everybody understands we've got to make sure that those patients continue to have access that their local pharmacies and make sure the PBMs are paying a fair reimbursement,' Rigsby said. Some groups, like the Alliance of Alabama Healthcare Consumers, have warned the fee will be pushed down to the patients. Rigsby said, however, his bill prohibits that. 'This is a step forward, I believe, in helping employers, patients and pharmacies start to see transparency in this system,' Rigsby said. State Rep. A.J. McCampbell (D-Livingston) agreed. He said something needs to be done to help rural drugstores. 'The small mom and pop — your neighbor, my neighbor — can stay in business and provide a tax base also for our communities,' McCampbell said. The bill now heads back to the Senate for final passage. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
