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Lots of Mouths to Feed

Last week, the Farish Street Group became the latest developers to ask for public funds to finance high-priced downtown Jackson developments.

The Lone Democrat

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood celebrated a large victory last Tuesday when he won his third re-election term against Republican challenger Steve Simpson, winning 60 percent of the vote. But Hood's real uphill battle may lie in next year's legislative session with Gov.-elect Phil Bryant and a Republican-controlled House and Senate.

Bennie Hopkins

As Bennie Hopkins prepares for his new role as the city of Jackson's director of planning and development, he reflected on what he has learned from working with Corinne Fox, who is ending her 45-year career in regional and urban planning today.

Farish to Face More Delays Without Financing

The opening of the Farish Street Entertainment District's venues could be pushed back again to the fall of 2012 if the Farish Street Group does not receive $8 million in bonds from the Jackson Redevelopment Authority, Watkins Partners Vice President Jason Goree said yesterday.

Second Chances

Michael Williams is the man behind the movie projector at the Russell C. Davis Planetarium. He is responsible for making sure the independent art films and sky shows run on schedule without any technical glitches.

Homeless and Boxed In

Although David Barney was homeless for several months, he never thought of himself as living in poverty. Barney, 43, got laid off from a construction job in 2010, and after both his parents died within months of each other, he was overwhelmed with funeral costs.

JRA Considers Financing Farish Street

The Jackson Redevelopment Authority board is considering a proposal to allocate $8 million in urban renewal bonds to the Farish Street Group for the redevelopment of the Farish Street Entertainment District.

Jim Hood Eases into Third Term

By 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, supporters at Jim Hood's re-election party were only mildly paying attention to the four television monitors showing election returns in the King Edward Hotel's banquet room.

Cooking from the Soul

When Wilora "Peaches" Ephram opened Peaches Restaurant in 1961, she had $45 in her pocket. She took that money and cooked hotdogs for her first customers until she made enough of a profit to start buying vegetables and meats to make the restaurant's famous soul-food plates.

Destiny Everitte

Millsaps College student Destiny Everitte is donating 12 hours of her time today to hold a sign opposing Initiative 26 on the corner of State Street and Riverside Drive.

Candidates Make Final Push

Read Republican Bill Denny's mailout (PDF). In the final hours before Election Day, candidates for state offices are making the final push to win over voters and outpace their opponents.

Follow us on Election Night

When the polls close tomorrow, the Jackson Free Press news team will hit the election-night parties and provide real-time coverage at Jacksonfreepress.com and Twitter. For live updates follow:

AT&T President Defends T-Mobile Merger

AT&T Mississippi President Mayo Flynt said this morning that his company's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile will not give AT&T an advantage over its competitors, but will allow the company to provide faster services and more data capacity to customers.

Study: Jackson 6th Largest Metro for Concentrated Poverty

The Jackson metro has some of the most concentrated poverty areas in the country, with the majority of those poor individuals living inside city limits, a Brookings study released today finds. The report states that living in poor neighborhoods creates additional obstacles and burdens for individuals such as lack of quality education, increased crime rates, lower property values and lack of goods and services. Poverty also strains local governments.

Self Defense or Murder?

Edna Mae Sanders first met former Navy Seal Sherman Sanders at a Baton Rouge party in March 2005. She gave him her phone number, and it wasn't long before he began surprising her with gifts and driving from New Orleans to see her on weekends.

Inside Yes on 26

Yes on 26 Campaign Director Brad Prewitt is an unassuming man. The 36-year-old with boyish features looked a bit uncomfortable wearing a suit and tie during the campaign's "Festival of Life" at New Horizon Church in Jackson Sept. 28.

Money Talks

If Hinds County Supervisor candidate John Dennery had to choose an animal he identifies with the most, he says he would pick a guard dog. The Republican candidate for the District 1 seat isn't happy about how the board has spent taxpayer money over the past few years and pledges that he will eliminate wasteful spending if elected.

City Receives Funds to Counter Recidivism

Ex-offenders will be able to get more help finding jobs due to a $50,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice that will help the city strengthen its Fresh Start program, Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. said today.

JRA Mulls Tax District for Old Capitol Green

The Jackson Redevelopment Authority is considering establishing a special tax district to helping finance a $27-million parking garage and adjoining commercial space in the Old Capitol Green development.

Farish: Must ‘Make a Profit'

Jackson developer David Watkins seemed to quell concerns when he presented a list of tenants for the long-awaited $100 million Farish Street Entertainment District project during a public presentation last week. The developer still needs approximately $13 million to complete construction, however, for businesses to actually open.

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