Stories for March 2018

Subscribe

Friday, March 30

Tease photo

Lawyer in Flowood Officer-Involved Shooting Wants Video, Answers

On the evening of March 8, a Flowood Police Department officer unloaded his gun into Von McDavid's car somewhere between four and eight times.

Tease photo

Keeshea Pratt Keeps Going

This year's International Blues Challenge featured many musicians from the Magnolia State, with artists from the Mississippi Delta Blues Society of Indianola and the Vicksburg Blues Society making the semifinals. While neither group made the list of winners in late January, Jackson blues fans had reason to rejoice when they saw who took first place: the Keeshea Pratt Band.

Tease photo

New JSU Theater Director, USM Entrepreneur of the Year and Jackson Chamber Teacher Awards

Jackson State University named alumnus Prince Duren as director of the school's theater department this week.

Thursday, March 29

Tease photo

Dead or Alive: What Bills Survived, Or Didn't, in the 2018 Legislative Session

While the budget is intact, many other Republican priorities and proposals died this session. Here is a short list of what survived and what did not.

Tease photo

Only Black People Prosecuted Under Mississippi Gang Law Since 2010

In the lead-up to this year's legislative session in Mississippi, supporters of a tougher gang law in the state talked a lot about the need to arrest white people. But in an ironic twist, the Jackson Free Press has learned that everyone arrested under the existing gang law from 2010 through 2017 were African American.

Tease photo

Yolanda Singleton

After 26 years in the entertainment business, concert promoter Yolanda Singleton says she feels like she has finally carved out a niche in the male-dominated industry.

Wednesday, March 28

Tease photo

Trump Fires Veterans Affairs Secretary Shulkin

President Donald Trump is firing Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and replacing him with the White House doctor in the wake of a bruising ethics scandal and a mounting rebellion within the VA.

Tease photo

UPDATED: Mayor Lumumba Planning April 4 Town Hall Event in Jackson with Bernie Sanders

The City of Jackson will be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King through a conversation titled, “Examining Economic Justice 50 Years Later.” This will be a moderated conversation between Senator Bernie Sanders and Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba.

Tease photo

US Judge Extends Temporary Block on 15-Week Abortion Ban

A federal judge in Mississippi has extended his temporary block on the most restrictive abortion law in the United States.

Tease photo

Senate Candidate Criticizes Group That Complained About Him

A U.S. Senate candidate in Mississippi said Wednesday that he's filing an Internal Revenue Service complaint against a group that complained to the Federal Election Commission about him.

Tease photo

Of Bunnies and Brunch

There's plenty going on in and around Jackson for Easter this year. Here's just a few of them.

Tease photo

Business+Tech Events

For more business and technology-related events, check out jfpevents.com. For biz and tech news, visit jfp.ms/business.

Tease photo

A Platform for Community

On Thursday, March 22, Cathead Distillery in downtown Jackson was bustling with activity at JXN Gumbo as J.J. Townsend launched his nonprofit community crowd-funding platform, Citizenville.

Tease photo

EDITORIAL: Mayor, JPD, Get on Same Page About Officer Shootings

When it comes to police transparency, Jackson is on a volatile tectonic plate that could cause tremors at any moment. Especially when City officials are the ones off-kilter and inconsistent.

Tease photo

OPINION: Police-State Violence, the Elephant in the Room

We live in a police state. That is when a government uses organized force to act arbitrarily and violently against the interests of the masses of people, rendering them subjects instead of citizens.

Tease photo

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Complacency vs. The Permission to Care Deeply

One of the biggest letdowns of the modern era—and the money involved in American politics—is the complacency that sets in once someone gets into office.

Tease photo

Tasha Bibb

During Tasha Bibb's sophomore year at Mississippi College, she was not sure what she wanted to do after graduation. That's when she learned about the nonprofit Innovate Mississippi, then called Mississippi Technology Alliance. Today, she is the organization's director of entrepreneurial development.

Tease photo

$6 Billion Budget, But No Roads, Bridges Funds

State revenues are higher than expected, and lawmakers set aside about $112 million, or 2 percent, of the state budget for its rainy day fund, as they worked several late nights at the Mississippi Legislature to pass a roughly $6-billion budget to fund state agencies starting in July.

Tease photo

Youth Take Lead on Guns in Schools

As the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School take the world stage to demand stricter gun laws, many people in the Jackson metro area recall that 20 years ago, Rankin County had its own high-profile school shooting.

Tease photo

Celebrating the Life of a Man JPD Killed

In Jackson, no one has taken to the streets for any of the last seven officer-involved shootings since Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba took office in July 2017 with none of the officers involved identified to date.

Tuesday, March 27

Tease photo

Mississippi Lawmakers Revise Some Medicaid Services

Mississippi lawmakers are updating the state's Medicaid program, allocating nearly $1 billion in state funds for the program that insures 1 in 4 state residents.

Tease photo

Retired Justice Urges Repeal of Second Amendment

Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment to allow for significant gun control legislation.

Tease photo

Two Officers in Black Man's Fatal Shooting Won't Be Charged

Louisiana's attorney general ruled out criminal charges Tuesday against two white Baton Rouge police officers in the fatal shooting of a black man during a struggle outside a convenience store.

Tease photo

Mississippians Sue to Get Voting Rights Restored After Serving Time

Wayne Kuhn completed his sentence for a grand larceny charge in the 1980s more than 25 years ago. He even got his record expunged—and yet he still cannot vote in Mississippi.

Tease photo

Sugar Ray's Sweet Shop, Que Padre and Zeek'z House of Gyros

Local business Sugar Ray's Sweet Shop launched a GoFundMe page on March 26 asking for donations to help keep the store open.

Tease photo

Dante Scott

Athletes from teams that don't win much do not normally receive honors, but MVSU forward Dante Scott earned the votes of head coaches and sports information directors with his play on the court.

Tease photo

Lawmakers Again Fail to Make Oil Spill Money Spending Plan

State lawmakers have again failed to agree on a plan for spending part of Mississippi's compensation from 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Monday, March 26

Tease photo

UPDATED: City May ID Cops Who Discharge Weapons Within 72 Hours, Establishing Task Force

The City may require that the Jackson Police Department start releasing names of officers who fire on civilians within 72 hours of the incident.

Tease photo

'I Call B.S.': 'March for Our Lives' in Jackson Puts Young Protesters on Display

Nearly 200 people took to the streets of downtown Jackson on Saturday, March 24, 2018, for the March for Our Lives, which calls for school safety and stricter gun laws.

Tease photo

Medicaid Funding in Flux as Lawmakers Work on $6 Billion Budget

Over the weekend, lawmakers worked to pass a roughly $6-billion budget to fund state agencies beginning in July. They have until Monday night to complete passing the state budget, with 10 budget bills left by press time.

Tease photo

Steve Stricker

Steve Stricker pulled away on the back nine Sunday at Fallen Oak to win the Rapiscan Systems Classic for his second straight PGA Tour Champions victory.

Tease photo

Frontier Gun Maker Remington Seeks Bankruptcy Protection

Remington, the storied gun maker that began turning out flintlock rifles when there were only 19 states in the Union, has filed for bankruptcy reorganization amid years of slumping sales and legal and financial pressure over the Sandy Hook school massacre.

Tease photo

Finance Complaint Filed in Mississippi US Senate Campaign

A nonpartisan group says in a complaint to the Federal Election Commission that a super PAC has been improperly organizing and funding activities for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Chris McDaniel.

Tease photo

10 Local Stories of the Week

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.

Saturday, March 24

Tease photo

Lawmakers Agree on Nearly $250 Million Bond Package

Top Mississippi lawmakers said Saturday that they have agreed on a bond package of nearly $250 million to finance several projects.

Friday, March 23

Tease photo

‘All That Is Dead’: Roads and Bridges Funding Dies at Legislature

Efforts to provide additional funding for roads and bridges are dead in the 2018 legislative session after Senate and House leaders could not come to an agreement on exactly how to divert more funding to the state’s infrastructure on Friday.

Tease photo

Alcorn State President Named New IHL Commissioner

The Institutions of Higher Learning board named Alfred Rankins Jr. the new commissioner of higher education for Mississippi on Friday, March 23.

Tease photo

Farish Quilt, New MUW President and UMMC/Memorial Collaboration

Jackson State University's Margaret Walker Center and creative-consulting group Significant Developments unveiled an interpretive plaque for the public art installation "Farish Quilt" in Farish Street Park on Thursday, March 22.

Tease photo

Tom Benson

New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson died of the flu on Thursday, March 15, at the age of 90.

Tease photo

Mississippi Toughening Up Narcotics Overdose Investigations

The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics announced this week that officials will now respond to the scene of every suspected overdose in the state in order to assist coroners and medical examiners in reporting deaths by opioid overdose.

Thursday, March 22

Tease photo

Mayor Lumumba on Paternity Leave Until April 3

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and his wife, Ebony Lumumba, welcomed a baby girl Wednesday, March 21. Nubia Ngozi was born at 8:09 a.m., weighing 8 pounds and 1 ounce.

Tease photo

Governor Defends Choice of Cindy Hyde-Smith to U.S. Senate Seat

Gov. Phil Bryant made history on Wednesday, March 21, when he named Cindy Hyde-Smith to take Sen. Thad Cochran's seat, which he will vacate on April 1. Mississippi has never sent a woman to Congress.

Tease photo

Michael Farris Smith

Author Michael Farris Smith's latest thriller, "The Fighter," hit shelves on March 20. He began working on the novel shortly after finishing his critically acclaimed third book, 2017's "Desperation Road."

Tease photo

Mueller Examining Cambridge Analytica, Trump Campaign Ties

Special counsel Robert Mueller is scrutinizing the connections between President Donald Trump's campaign and the data mining firm Cambridge Analytica, which has come under fierce criticism over reports that it swiped the data of more than 50 million Facebook users to sway elections.

Tease photo

House Kills Bill That Would Have Let Schools Arm Teachers

Mississippi lawmakers won't pass a plan this year explicitly allowing schools and colleges to let teachers or staff members carry guns after having firearms training.

Tease photo

Troopers to Patrol at Florida School Where Massacre Happened

Already heightened security was being bolstered Thursday at the Florida high school that became the scene of a massacre last month, with Gov. Rick Scott ordering eight highway patrol troopers to help secure the grounds.

Wednesday, March 21

Tease photo

Louisiana Governor Says He Would Sign 15-Week Abortion Ban

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Wednesday that he likely would sign a proposal banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, if his state's lawmakers pass it.

Tease photo

Auditor Says Failed Solar Plant Owes Mississippi $93 Million

Mississippi's state auditor is formally demanding that a failed solar panel maker pay nearly $93 million that he says is owed to state and local governments, a prelude to a possible lawsuit.

Tease photo

EDITORIAL: Public Officials, Get Facts Straight on Project EJECT

There are two sides to the proverbial Project EJECT coin: what the public hears and what actually happens.

Tease photo

OPINION: White People, Respect Our Struggle

The mere suggestion that not seeing my skin color should somehow make me feel comfortable is ignorant. I am proud of my race and my skin color. You don't see me? Why not?

Tease photo

Cinnamon Roll Cravings

Michael Harris' business, Your Cravings Gourmet Cinnamon Rolls, sprung from a family tradition.

Tease photo

Austin Bombing Suspect Blows Himself Up as SWAT Moves In

The suspect in the deadly bombings that terrorized Austin blew himself up early Wednesday as authorities closed in on him, bringing a grisly end to a three-week manhunt. But police warned that more bombs could be out there.

Tease photo

Oh, the Places You'll Go: Project EJECT Expels Gun Offenders to Faraway Prisons

U.S. Attorney Michael Hurst has charged 35 people since he first announced the anti-crime initiative Project EJECT in late 2017.

Tease photo

EDITOR'S NOTE: All Those Crazy Jackson Ideas

When Mississippi Arts Commission Executive Director Malcolm White first moved to Jackson in 1979, he said it was a fairly straight-laced city where people went to work, church, school and raised their kids, but they would go out of town to do anything fun. He didn't like that, so he set out to change it.

Tease photo

Christopher Lockhart

Christopher Lockhart, owner of Capital City Kayaks, says he has always enjoyed being out on the water.

Tease photo

Lawmakers Turn to Budgets; Re-Entry Reforms on Governor’s Desk

It's crunch time at the Mississippi Capitol. This week lawmakers will have to finalize the state budget, predominantly behind closed doors, before passing a slim fiscal-year 2019 budget.

Tease photo

UPDATED: ‘Galactic Trouble’ for Foster Care Ahead?

Jess Dickinson likes to use an ancient maxim he heard in a film, "The Bourne Ultimatum," to illustrate where he sits currently as the commissioner of Mississippi's foster-care system. "Hope for the best; plan for the worst," Dickinson says.

Tuesday, March 20

Tease photo

Judge Blocks Newly Signed 15-Week Abortion Ban for 10 Days

It took less than 24 hours for Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban to become law and then be stopped from taking effect.

Tease photo

Uncle Ray's Hookah Lounge, vineyard vines and Two Dog Farms

Jackson resident Ray McCants will hold a grand opening for his new business, Uncle Ray's Hookah Lounge, on Friday, April 20.

Tease photo

Cindy Hyde-Smith

The state's governor will appoint Mississippi's first female member of Congress to fill the Senate vacancy that will soon be created when veteran Sen. Thad Cochran retires, three state Republicans told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Tease photo

Judge Temporarily Blocks Mississippi's 15-Week Abortion Ban

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked a new Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks' gestation—the most restrictive abortion law in the United States.

Tease photo

Supreme Court Takes Up Challenge by Crisis Pregnancy Centers

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a free speech fight over California's attempt to regulate anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers.

Monday, March 19

Tease photo

Mississippi Imposes 15-Week Abortion Ban; Nation's Toughest

Mississippi's governor signed a law Monday banning most abortions after 15 weeks' gestations, the tightest restrictions in the nation.

Tease photo

Trump Calls for Death Penalty to 'Get Tough' on Drug Pushers

President Donald Trump called Monday for stiffer penalties for drug traffickers, including embracing a tactic employed by some of the global strongmen he admires: the death penalty.

Tease photo

Facebook Data Whistleblower: 'Fake News to the Next Level'

A Trump-affiliated firm under scrutiny for inappropriately obtaining data on tens of millions of Facebook users created profiling algorithms that "took fake news to the next level," a former employee said.

Tease photo

'One Lake' Project Could Go to Public for Comment Next Month

Engineers are pumping water at both Pearl River stations after a weekend of storms. The river reached a crest of 21 feet this weekend but is projected to drop down to lower levels later this week.

Tease photo

Indigent Defendants Denied Counsel, Speedy Trials in 10 Counties

Mississippians accused of felonies who cannot afford their own representation have the right to counsel and a speedy trial under the 6th Amendment, but a new report found that access to adequate representation across 10 Mississippi counties is lacking and far from consistent.

Tease photo

Kermit Davis

Kermit Davis turned Middle Tennessee into one of the best mid-major programs in the country during his 16 seasons at the school. Mississippi believes he can have the same kind of success in the Southeastern Conference.

Tease photo

Analysis: Foster Care Agency Seeks Money to Meet Mandates

Mississippi legislators are approaching the final phase of patching holes in the current year's state budget and writing a $6 billion spending plan for fiscal 2019, which begins July 1.

Tease photo

10 Local Stories of the Week

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.

Friday, March 16

Tease photo

Report: Abortion is Safe But Barriers Reduce Quality of Care

Abortions in the U.S. are very safe but getting one without facing delays and false medical information depends on where women live, says a broad examination of the nation's abortion services.

Tease photo

Black, Male, Arrested: Madison County Case May Go Class Action

Attorneys argue that Madison County's policing program violates black residents' rights outlined in the Fourth Amendment, the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The ACLU of Mississippi released data found during discovery at a press conference Wednesday.

Tease photo

USM Symphony Orchestra Concert, UNCF HBCU Report and ACHE at Belhaven

The United Negro College Fund recently published a study titled "HBCUs Make America Strong: The Positive Economic Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities," which showed that Tougaloo College has generated $42 million in total economic impact for the region.

Tease photo

Saint Patrick

People across the world celebrate St. Patrick's Day on March 17 with parades, festivals and a variety of revelry, but who exactly is Saint Patrick?

Thursday, March 15

Tease photo

Trump Owns Up to Making Things Up

For a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump was by his own admission unprepared—deficient in the fundamentals of the Canada-U.S. trade relationship that he'd been railing about since the campaign.

Tease photo

Mississippi Governor: National GOP Won't Choose New Senator

Mississippi's Republican governor said Thursday that his decision about appointing a new U.S. senator won't be influenced by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell or other GOP leaders in Washington, but he believes his appointee will receive campaign help from the president and vice president.

Tease photo

Groups Want Judges to Stop Courthouse Immigration Arrests

Civil rights and indigent defense groups asked Massachusetts' highest court Thursday to stop federal agents from arresting immigrants targeted for deportation at courthouses, saying the practice is scaring victims, witnesses and others away from halls of justice.

Tease photo

Criminal Justice Reform Law Headed to Governor's Desk

If Gov. Phil Bryant signs House Bill 387 into law, Mississippians will not automatically go to prison or jail if they do not pay fines or court fees.

Tease photo

Drew Brees

New Orleans entered this offseason, much like many in the past years, with one major question: "What will happen with quarterback Drew Brees?" Fans got their answer on March 13 when the quarterback signed a new two-year deal to stay with the franchise.

Wednesday, March 14

Tease photo

Op-Ed: Entergy

In an op-ed filed by the CEO of Entergy Mississippi, he claims that the state's Public Service Commission has already approved the charges for electricity purchased by Entergy. That is very misleading.

Tease photo

State Sen. Chris McDaniel Switches Races to Run for Thad Cochran's Seat

A Mississippi state lawmaker who came close to defeating U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran nearly four years ago said Wednesday that he is going to run for the retiring senator's open seat.

Tease photo

EDITOR'S NOTE: Right, Left Must Work Together for Criminal Reforms

It is time that criminal-justice reform be on every candidate's agenda in Mississippi, regardless of party. The goal should be to lower mass incarceration, especially for drug and victimless crimes—which both parties here voted to begin back in 2014.

Tease photo

St. Paddy’s Celebrates 35 Years

Hal's St. Paddy's Parade (formerly known as the Mal's St. Paddy's Parade) may be a cultural staple of Jackson now, but for residents on their way home from work in 1983, its first iteration was simply the cause of a traffic jam in downtown.

Tease photo

The Sounds of St. Paddy's

These days, venues across the city make sure there are plenty of options for live music before and after the parade, but Hal's St. Paddy's Festival is still one of the biggest draws downtown, with both local and touring entertainment taking the stage at Hal & Mal's each year.

Tease photo

The Lucky Round-Up

Plenty of local places have plans for this year's Hal's St. Paddy's Parade in Jackson. Here's a list of some of the festivities to be found this weekend.

Tease photo

V.A. Patterson

As a young child, V.A. Patterson's mother, Mary Alice Bookhart, who was a long-time women's editor for The Clarion-Ledger, would take her to art shows and the theater, where Patterson would get to meet artist and performers.

Tease photo

EDITORIAL: Stop Hurting Women as a Campaign Strategy

Constituents need to hold lawmakers accountable who are more interested in scoring political points than they are about ensuring women, especially black women, are protected.

Tease photo

OPINION: Justice for Reggie Harper

For Reginald Harper, Jan. 4, 2018, is a day that will forever live in infamy. On this day Jackson Police Department officers shot at him.

Tease photo

Jackson Airport Soon Offering Flights to Central Florida

A Mississippi airport will begin offering direct flights to an airport near Orlando, Florida, in June.

Tease photo

Inside JPD’s Use-of-Force Policy: Public Trust vs. Officer Safety

Lately Tetrina Blalock has been reconnecting with family members she has not seen in a while. Losing her cousin brought them together.

Tease photo

Reversing 'Roe'; Outside Group Uses Mississippi as 'Bait' to End Abortion

The State of Mississippi's Republican legislative leadership may have just decided to end all abortions after 15 weeks, but they used a template developed outside the state. The legislation is designed to "bait" abortion-rights proponents into a fight over ending abortion outright, the bill's architect group admits.

Tease photo

Sabotage, Death, Danger: Private Prison on Trial

The Southern Poverty Law Center, the National Prison Project of the ACLU and two other law firms brought a class-action lawsuit against the Mississippi Department of Corrections back in 2013 due to conditions at EMCF.

Tease photo

UK Expels 23 Russian Diplomats Over Spy Poisoning

Britain announced Wednesday it will expel almost two dozen Russian diplomats, sever high-level bilateral contacts with Moscow and take both open and covert action against Kremlin meddling after the poisoning of a former spy, plunging U.K.-Russian relations into their deepest freeze since the Cold War.

Tease photo

Stephen Hawking, Best-Known Physicist of His Time, Has Died

Stephen Hawking, whose brilliant mind ranged across time and space though his body was paralyzed by disease, has died. He was 76.

Tease photo

Money for Memorial to Honor Activist Killed by KKK Approved

A request to use money for a memorial to honor a Mississippi man killed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1966 has been approved.

Tuesday, March 13

Tease photo

Mississippi Representative Recognized After Nearly 4 Decades

Colleagues are applauding longtime state Rep. Tyrone Ellis as he returns to Mississippi's House chambers after retiring in June.

Tease photo

Mississippi Cigarette Tax Increases Nearly Dead

With less than three weeks left in the 2018 regular session, an effort by Mississippi lawmakers to raise tobacco taxes is on its deathbed.

Tease photo

UPDATED: Rankin County Middle Schooler Wins Mississippi State Spelling Bee

Around 50 middle-schoolers ranging from ages nine to 14, along with their parents and supporters, filled the Rose E. McCoy auditorium at Jackson State University today for the 2018 Mississippi Spelling Bee.

Tease photo

Michele Mathis

Michele Mathis, a Raymond, Miss., resident, will host a launch event for her new podcast, "Point of Perception," on Friday, March 16.

Tease photo

Swell-O-Phonic Celebrates 20 Years, Spring Market and New Trade Mart

Ron Chane, owner of Swell-O-Phonic, Studio Chane and The Wonder Lab, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of Swell's opening with a series of events all week leading up to Saturday, March 17.

Tease photo

Trump Fires Tillerson at State, Replacing with CIA's Pompeo

President Donald Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday and said he would nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to replace him, ending Tillerson's difficult tenure by tweeting an ouster that had been long expected and yet was shocking in its abruptness.

Tease photo

Mississippi Governor Nixes Stricter Real Estate License Rule

Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant is vetoing a bill that would have created stricter requirements for real estate brokers to earn licenses in the state.

Monday, March 12

Tease photo

Mississippi Secretary of State Hints at Seeking Higher Office

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann says he's not running for his current office again, but won't say what he's running for next.

Tease photo

US Sets New Record for Censoring, Withholding Government Files

The federal government censored, withheld or said it couldn't find records sought by citizens, journalists and others more often last year than at any point in the past decade, according to an Associated Press analysis of new data.

Tease photo

APNewsBreak: Trump Jr., Donor Have Longtime Undisclosed Ties

Donald Trump Jr. has a previously undisclosed business relationship with a longtime hunting buddy who helped raise millions of dollars for his father's 2016 presidential campaign and has had special access to top government officials since the election, records obtained by The Associated Press show.

Tease photo

Trump Doesn't Set Age for Guns, Defers on Arming Teachers

President Donald Trump said Monday that he is "watching court cases and rulings" before taking action on raising age limits for purchasing some firearms, arguing that there is "not much political support (to put it mildly)."

Tease photo

Woman Crashes into McDade's in Belhaven, Hits Worker Inside

Just after 9 a.m. today, a woman drove her car into McDade's Market on Fortification Street, crashing through the brick wall outside the cafeteria.

Tease photo

Not 'Soft on Crime': Clergy Want Prison Reforms to Become Law

The Mississippi Legislature could approve two re-entry and criminal-justice reform measures this session, which are still alive.

Tease photo

Nick Weatherspoon

Mississippi State guard Nick Weatherspoon was injured and taken off the court on a stretcher after being stepped on with 14:54 remaining in the Bulldogs' 62-59 loss against No. 13 Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Friday night.

Tease photo

Analysis: Auditor Wants Improved Use of Accounting System

State Auditor Stacy Pickering says an increasing number of accounting problems shows state employees need more training in governmental accounting practices and how to use the $100 million accounting software system that the state turned on in 2014.

Tease photo

10 Local Stories of the Week

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.

Friday, March 9

Tease photo

House Makes Counter-Offer to Senate on Transportation Money

State House members are moving forward with their version of a plan to divert future revenue and borrow money to spend on roads and bridges, but it wouldn't give control of money to the governor or take any money from current state Transportation Department funds.

Tease photo

Florida's Governor Signs Compromise School Safety Bill

Flanked by family members of students who were killed during a mass shooting just over three weeks ago, Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Friday signed a $400 million school safety bill in response to the tragedy that killed 17 people at a high school.

Tease photo

Anime Fest Checklist

The Mississippi Anime Festival, which takes place March 10 at the Mississippi Trade Mart, brings together vendors, special guests, artists, cosplayers and more under one roof to celebrate Japanese animation and pop culture.

Tease photo

JPS Closing Four Elementary Schools Due to Funding, Costly Repairs

Four elementary schools will close at the end of this school year in Jackson Public Schools.

Tease photo

MUW Alumni Awards and VEX Robotics Competition at USM

The Mississippi University for Women Alumni Association announced the recipients of its four annual alumni awards on Wednesday, March 7.

Tease photo

ACLU Accuses US of Broadly Separating Immigrant Families

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a class-action lawsuit Friday accusing the U.S. government of broadly separating immigrant families seeking asylum.

Tease photo

Alexander FRE$CO

Something was not sitting right for James Villes. In 2017, after working on a new recording project for about a year and a half, the hip-hop artist and Jackson native, whom fans know as Alexander FRE$CO, says the music just did not seem to flow right to him.

Thursday, March 8

Tease photo

Trump Announces Stiff Trade Tariffs, Unswayed by Warnings

Unswayed by Republican warnings of a trade war, President Donald Trump ordered steep new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. on Thursday, vowing to fight back against an "assault on our country" by foreign competitors.

Tease photo

The Future of Fleet Foxes

When a band ends a six-year hiatus, there are bound to be high expectations for the new music that breaks the silence. For Robin Pecknold, principal songwriter of Seattle indie-folk group Fleet Foxes, that expectation came from himself for the most part.

Tease photo

City Roundup: New Pot-Hole Machine, School Sidewalk Delays, Historic Midtown

A Jackson elementary school has to wait for new sidewalks because the City of Jackson has to restart a bid process for funding under the federal Safe Routes to School program.

Tease photo

Mississippi Passes Law Banning Abortion After 15 Weeks

Mississippi lawmakers on Thursday passed what is likely to be the nation's most restrictive abortion law, making the procedure illegal after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Tease photo

Senate's 'School Safety Act' Tightens Teacher Gun Training, Carry Laws

Schools, colleges and universities around Mississippi could create school-safety programs, designating certain licensed firearm owners who complete approved training courses to carry a concealed gun for the explicit purpose of resisting violent intruders on campus.

Tease photo

Mississippi House Again Seeks Lottery Despite Dim Prospects

A longtime proponent of Mississippi setting up a state lottery is trying to pressure leaders of the Legislature to move in that direction.

Tease photo

One Student Dead, Another Hurt by Gun in Alabama High School

Birmingham closed one of its largest schools for a thorough safety sweep Thursday after metal detectors and other security measures failed to keep students from handling a gun in a classroom where one 17-year-old was fatally shot and another wounded in an apparent accident.

Tease photo

Mississippi State Gets $7M Grant for New 2-Mile Road

Mississippi State University is getting $7 million to build a new two-mile north-south road with sidewalks, bike lanes, and street lighting along the eastern edge of campus.

Wednesday, March 7

Tease photo

Mississippi Senate Advances Tightened Guns-in-Schools Bill

Schools and colleges could allow teachers or staff members to carry guns after they get firearms training, under legislation advanced Wednesday by Mississippi lawmakers.

Tease photo

Trump Administration Escalates California Immigration Feud

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions brought the Trump administration's feud with California to the doorstep of the state Capitol on Wednesday, suing over its so-called sanctuary state law and dramatically escalating a war with the liberal powerhouse in a sharp exchange of words with Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown.

Tease photo

Civil Rights Museum Enjoys ‘Trump-less’ Grand Opening

Bryant hit a nerve with his invite last December after the racially tone-deaf president failed to disavow white nationalists during recent neo-Nazi demonstrations.

Tease photo

EDITORIAL: Cheers to Senate, But More Ed Attacks Ahead

Bravo to the Mississippi Senate for actually listening to their constituents and killing the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula proposal.

Tease photo

OPINION: Take Down the Flag

I was born and raised in the South. It's my home. I want it to live up to its potential. I am not a Democrat, nor am I a liberal. I am a white man born here, and I say take the flag down.

Tease photo

Happiest Hours

Happy hours are always one of the best ways to wind down from a busy week, and luckily, Jackson has some great choices.

Tease photo

Mutiny at the Senate: Bi-partisan Death of New Ed Formula

Twenty-six senators joined Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, to kill the Republican-driven proposal to scrap MAEP, which would have replaced it with a weights-based student funding formula, which EdBuild developed and GOP leaders cherry-picked.

Tease photo

Sergio Lugo II

Sergio Lugo II's day job is as a real-time operations supervisor for Comcast, but when he is not managing scheduling or performing other tasks for work, he hosts popular local podcast "Reality Breached."

Tease photo

EDITOR'S NOTE: Parkland Teens Lead by Talking Back, Listening

The Parkland, Fla., teenagers who became activists against gun violence while locked in closets on Valentine's Day are giving many of us life during a dark period in our country.

Tease photo

Jacksonians Value JPS and Teachers, Poll Finds

The local community supports both Jackson Public Schools and the teachers in a stronger way than in many communities, a poll of 500 local residents in January found.

Tease photo

Ringing the Bell on Kids Charged as Adults

Johnnie McDaniels' job requires him to repair broken children, especially those who have been charged as adults. Many of them sit in his facility for the better part of a year awaiting court dates, convictions and indictments.

Tease photo

UPDATED:After 7 Shootings, JPD Still Shields Officers

Lee Edward Bonner, 37, died after a Jackson police officer shot him on Feb. 21 in west Jackson. His family says it was "an overkill," while the City released scant information painting Bonner as the instigator of a shoot-out during a drug investigation gone awry.

Tuesday, March 6

Tease photo

Starkville Reverses Decision, Gives Permit to Gay Pride Parade

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Leaders in Starkville, home to Mississippi State University, now say they will permit a gay pride parade, reversing a previous denial after a lawsuit was filed.

Tease photo

Mississippi GOP Governor Won't Appoint Himself to US Senate

Mississippi's Republican governor took himself out of the mix Tuesday for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Thad Cochran, saying he'll find another strong contender to keep the seat firmly in GOP hands for decades, as Cochran did.

Tease photo

Mississippi Senate Passes 15-Week Abortion Ban, with Changes

Mississippi senators have passed a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Tease photo

Mayor Refutes Ethics Complaint Claiming JPD Destroys Immigration Records

In one of his more assertive and direct public statements, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba refuted an ethics complaint from a local conservative think tank accusing the City of Jackson of destroying immigration records called detainers.

Tease photo

Natural Saga Tea, Launch Trampoline Park, Hollywood Feed and Microsoft Rocks

Clinton resident Bradley Bailey opened Natural Saga Tea at The Hatch in midtown on Feb. 1. The business sells Bailey's own blends of sweet, herbal and milk teas, which he started making after trying milk tea during a trip to California in 2016.

Tease photo

Sheena Allen

On Thursday, March 8, at 7 p.m., Fuse will premier the two-hour documentary "She Started It," which follows the lives of five women tech entrepreneurs, including Mississippi-born app developer Sheena Allen.

Monday, March 5

Tease photo

Sen. Cochran to Resign April 1 Citing Health Concerns, McDaniel May Switch From Wicker Race

Sen. Thad Cochran, a Republican from Mississippi, says he will resign April 1.

Tease photo

Plaques at Ole Miss Acknowledge Its Historic Ties to Slavery

The University of Mississippi is acknowledging its historical connections to slave labor, slave owners and officials who set policies that stripped African-Americans of voting rights after the Civil War.

Tease photo

Trump Says He Won't Back Down on Tariffs Plan

President Donald Trump insisted Monday that he's "not backing down" on his plan to impose stiff tariffs on imported steel and aluminum despite anxious warnings from House Speaker Paul Ryan and other congressional Republicans of a possible trade war.

Tease photo

Best-Selling Author Angie Thomas Receives Key to Jackson

Angie Thomas was 6 years-old when she was caught in the crossfire of a shootout in Georgetown, the Jackson neighborhood where she grew up. Her mother, Julia Thomas, could not get to her at the time and prayed her daughter would be safe.

Tease photo

Private Prison Trial Starts Today Over Alleged Squalor, Rats, Deaths

Inmates housed at the East Mississippi Correctional Facility alleged squalor conditions, solitary confinement practices, lack of medical and mental health care, and an overall unsafe environment. Five years later, the case goes to trial before U.S. District Judge William Barbour today.

Tease photo

Cosby Wants Sexual Assault Case Tossed or Witnesses Limited

A day after Hollywood's first Oscars of the #MeToo era, Bill Cosby went to court Monday in a bid to get his sexual assault case thrown out—or at least stop some of his dozens of accusers from testifying at his retrial.

Tease photo

Matt Insell

Mississippi's Matt Insell is out as women's basketball coach after five seasons with the program.

Tease photo

10 Local Stories of the Week

There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.

Friday, March 2

Tease photo

Bipartisan Vote Kills New Education Funding Formula Proposal

Sen. Gray Tollison, R-Oxford, thought he had the votes to pass the Republican proposal to replace the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, when he stepped up to the speaker well in the Senate chamber Thursday afternoon.

Tease photo

Now: The Call and Look of Freedom, Retool Your School and Rural Voices Radio

The Mississippi Museum of Art and Tougaloo College recently announced the inaugural exhibition of the institutions' Art and Civil Rights Initiative titled "Now: The Call and Look of Freedom."

Tease photo

Chris McDaniel

Mississippi state lawmaker Chris McDaniel, who lost a bitter Republican primary to the state's senior U.S. senator in 2014, said Wednesday that he is challenging the state's other Republican senator, Roger Wicker.

Tease photo

World Leaders Push Back Against Trump's Trade War Threat

President Donald Trump on Friday insisted "trade wars are good, and easy to win," a bold claim that prompted threats of retaliation against U.S. exports like blue jeans and motorcycles.

Tease photo

Several Members of Congress on a 'Civil Rights Pilgrimage'

About a dozen Democrats and Republicans prayed and sang "Amazing Grace" during a solemn ceremony Friday at the site where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated nearly 50 years ago, marking the start of a three-day congressional "pilgrimage" to sites with ties to civil rights era in the South.

Thursday, March 1

Tease photo

Senators Reject Change to Mississippi School Funding Formula

Mississippi lawmakers are rejecting an attempt to rewrite the state's public school funding formula.

Tease photo

Pro-Gun Georgia Lawmakers Deny Delta Tax Break for Breaking with NRA

Pro-gun Georgia lawmakers scored a political victory Thursday over Delta Air Lines, making good on Republican threats to deny the company a hefty tax break after it cut ties with the National Rifle Association in the wake of the deadly shooting at a Florida high school.

Tease photo

UPDATED: Senate Takes Up New Ed Funding Formula Proposal Today

The push to re-write the State's education-funding formula, the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, is in the Senate waiting on a full vote.

Tease photo

Number of JPD Officer-Involved Shootings Keeps Growing

With two deadly officer-involved shootings in the first two months of 2018, public scrutiny has grown over the Jackson Police Department's use-of-force policy and its decision to withhold officers' names until they complete an internal investigation, a criminal investigation and a Hinds County grand jury returns an indictment—a process that can take at least a year.

Tease photo

Trump to Impose Tariffs on Imports of Steel and Aluminum

Determined to protect vital American industries, President Donald Trump declared Thursday that he will impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, dramatically raising the possibility of a trade showdown with China and other key trading partners.

Tease photo

Kroger Joins Other Big Retailers, Tightens Gun Restrictions

Kroger will no longer sell guns to anyone under 21 at the stores it owns, becoming the third major retailer this week to put restrictions in place that are stronger than federal laws.

Tease photo

Blair Schaefer

Senior guard Blair Schaefer, daughter of MSU head coach Vic Schaefer, is one of the three finalists for the award, which is the top women's basketball player in our state receives each year.

Tease photo

Putin Boasts of New Russian Nuclear Weapons

Russia has tested an array of new strategic nuclear weapons that can't be intercepted, President Vladimir Putin declared Thursday, claiming a technological breakthrough that could dramatically increase Russia's military capability, boost the Kremlin's global position and also raise Western concerns about a potential renewed arms race in the 21st century.