Calvin Bogan
Calvin Bogan, 19, is taking his passion for music to Boston this summer. "One thing I love about music," he says, "is that music touches people in different ways."
[Balko] How Many More Are Innocent?
America's 250th DNA exoneration raises questions about how often we send the wrong person to prison.
Irby Receives 18 Years Behind Bars
Karen Irby, who pleaded guilty March 26 to two counts of manslaughter in the deaths of two doctors, was sentenced this morning to 18 years in prison for each count, her sentences to run concurrently.
Levee Board Approves Compromise Lake25X
Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board approved a resolution to re-engage the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to move forward with a $205 million levee expansion for the Pearl River, but with the addition of a small lake ending just south of the LeFleur's Bluff Park and its adjoining Mayes Lake campground.
Commission Readies School Consolidation Report
A governor-appointed panel is set to issue its final recommendations on school district consolidation in the next month. The Commission on Education Structure met at the state Capitol today to discuss a preliminary report on consolidating some of Mississippi's 152 public-school districts. Barring major changes, the commission will approve a final version of the report by next month without meeting in person, Commission Chairman and Bancorp South CEO Aubrey Patterson said.
Community Events and Public Meetings
7 p.m., Death Penalty Forum, at Masonic Temple (1072 John R. Lynch Street), on the first floor. The topic is "From Tulia to Jena to Winona: the Past is Still Not Past." Dr. Alan Bean of Friends of Justice will discuss the effects of racism on the Mississippi death penalty and the case of Curtis Flowers. The event is sponsored by Mississippians for Smart Justice. Free; e-mail {encode="[email protected]" title="[email protected]"}.
Suburbs Losing Young Whites to Cities
Diversity in city and suburbs = good. Keep it up, Jackson.
Our good friend David Watkins (or "Pops" in JFP comments and forums) posted a link to this Huff Post piece on Facebook yesterday, which reports on a Brookings Institution study that shows that, among other things, young whites are returning to cities from the suburbs (such as we are seeing right here in Jackson). David also said this under his link: "Here's an interesting tidbit from the Brookings study; the overall population of metro Jackson has increased in the last decade from 497,000 to 537,000, but the percentage white population has decreased by 4% and is now at a total of 49%. We are following the same pattern as the rest of the country in getting more diverse throughout the metro region."
Second Dome Planned; Spill Drifts West
British Petroleum engineers attempting to contain the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico will try to lower a second containment dome at the site, reports The Times-Picayune. Crews lowered the first, larger dome at the site this past weekend; however, the inside of the dome developed natural gas ice crystals and had to be moved several hundred yards away from the oil gushing into the Gulf at the rate of 210,000 gallons a day.
JFP Forums Are Back!
Last year we switched from using the Forums script here on the JFP site to something I was calling the "Community Blog," mostly because it allowed us to integrate recent comments from the Community Blog into the "stream" of comments we get on stories and more "official" blog entries. Well, that didn't work -- few enough thread of discussion got started that I've decided to return to the original Forums.
Courts Sets Second Execution Date
Yesterday, the Mississippi Supreme Court set a May 20 execution date for Gerald James Holland, 72, on death row for the 1987 murder of 15-year-old Krystal King. Holland's execution will come one day after the state executes Paul Woodward, 62, for the 1986 rape and murder of Rhonda Crane, 24.
Dr. Alan Bean
By using narrative and story telling, Dr. Alan Bean hopes that others will start to evaluate the criminal-justice system and seek the truth.
BP to Waive Federal Cap on Spill Damage, Says AG
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood and attorneys general from Louisiana, Texas, Florida and Alabama said at a press conference yesterday that BP is willing to waive a $75 million cap on some of the damages caused by the April 20 explosion of the Transocean Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the coast of Louisiana.
Advocates Urge Proactive Approach to Homeless
Addressing homelessness in Jackson will require the active participation of communities, especially in the areas near downtown, the city's Homeless Program Coordinator Heather Ivery said today.
Raymond Vaughn
Raymond Vaughn, owner of Raymond's hair salon in Jackson, has more hair than he knows what do to with.
Thank God It's Friday
Start your weekend off on a musical note. The numerous options tonight include ArtRemix at the Mississippi Museum of Art kicking off at 5 p.m.; $20. Tonight is also the annual Pepsi Pops Concert with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra on the reservoir at Old Trace Park. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., with entertainment before the main event at 7:30 p.m. and a fireworks finale; $15, $5 students. Or stick with downtown for "Can't Feel My Face Friday" at Dreamz Jxn starting at 9 p.m., with free drinks (!) until 11 p.m. Where should you begin your search for the perfect entertainment options? The JFP Best Bets page is great place to start.
Chief Keeping Close Eye on Fuel Cost
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/v3/images/documents/MajorCrimes050210pdf.pdf
Anita Modak-Truran
Anita Modak-Truran is the first to admit her insatiable curiosity lures her to seek new experiences and hobbies.
Gulf Coast AGs Seek Spill ‘Clarifications'
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood and the attorneys general from four other states affected (or potentially affected) by oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico are looking for clarification of responsibility from all involved parties. Yesterday, the group of five state "top cops" sent letters to three British Petroleum executives and to the general counsels at Transocean, Halliburton Energy, and Cameron International, corporations directly associated to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig that exploded and sank April 20 killing 11 workers.
Filling that Empty Place
Growing up, I was one of those nerdy kids with big pink glasses and a bad perm that brought her lunch to school everyday. What a treat it was to open the lid of my Charlie Brown lunch box and discover my Mom had packed my favorite lunch: a cheese sandwich, a mixed fruit cup, and a Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie.
Cookin' for Mom
Being a mother herself, Faye Dickerson knows that things can get stressful on Mother's Day. All that a mom wants to do is sit back and relax, though most times she ends up preparing a meal for herself and her family. Dickerson believes that mothers should be taken care of on their special day, and that one of the ways to do that is to take care of the food for her.