Ellington

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:

1. City of Jackson budget hearings started this morning with a bit of good news for the Jackson Zoo, one of the most beleaguered and beloved institutions in the city.
2. On Aug. 20, local chef Jesse Houston and his wife Rachel Horn Houston officially opened their new restaurant, Saltine Oyster Bar, in the west end of Duling School.
3. City employees could see a pay increase under a proposal from Jackson Ward 6 Councilman Tyrone Hendrix.
4. Mayor Tony Yarber is working towards bringing a Costco to Lakeland Drive—the same location former Mayor Lumumba had discussed but never made public.
5. Cedrick Gray, Jackson Public Schools superintendent, helped implement programs for JPS freshmen this school year, but fired four of his top administrators for an unknown reason.
6. Understanding the historical significance of the Ferguson uprising is what drove a handful of activists from Jackson to go to Ferguson in support of protesters and observe organizing strategies being used on the ground to adopt in Mississippi if necessary.
7. Opportunity Center Director Christie Burnett knows all about how mental illness affects the homeless community in Jackson.
8. With the fight for LGBT equality and a lack of Medicaid expansion at the forefront of the Mississippi politics, Open Arms Healthcare Center could not have been created at a better time.
9. During the annual election of officers on Aug. 27, the Jackson Redevelopment Authority elected Jennifer Johnson as JRA's board president, replacing Bishop Ronnie Crudup.
10. Angered by the state's failure to fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, 14 Mississippi school districts filed legal claims in Hinds County on Aug. 28.

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