News

UPDATED: March For Our Lives Students to Stop in Jackson Aug. 2, Host Town Hall

On Feb. 18, a gunman killed 17 students and staff, and injured 17 more at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. The students who survived, and then formed the March For Our Lives organization and movement, will be in Jackson on Aug. 2.

Delbert Hosemann Will Seek Higher Office; Not Running for Re-election

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann drew boos from a crowd of supporters on Wednesday at the Neshoba County Fair in Philadelphia, Miss., when he announced he would not run for for re-election, but he quickly calmed them by teasing another possibility.

Jail Time for Dilapidated Property in Jackson?

Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks wants to create a safer 1-mile radius around schools in the City of Jackson by making it a crime to own unkempt abandoned properties.

ABC News: Race to Replace Sen. Thad Cochran 'Could Reshape Washington'

The race to decide who will win Mississippi's U.S. Senate seat that Thad Cochran vacated is one of the "races that could reshape Washington and the country," ABC News said Monday.

Glenda Glover

Glenda Glover became the 30th international president of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority on Thursday, July 12, at the organization's international conference in Houston, Texas.

Jackson Budget Audit Submitted 22 Days Late Due to Errors Dating to 2001

The comprehensive annual finance report, or CAFR, was due on June 30, but the City of Jackson sent it to the State of Mississippi on July 22—22 days after it was due, financial consultant Michelle Thomas said at a press conference on July 30.

James Vinson

SoilTech Consultants, Inc., a Ridgeland-based geotechnical engineering firm, hired James Vinson as the firm's practice leader on Thursday, July 19. Vinson then moved to Jackson from Knoxville, Tenn., to start his new position.

Yappy Hour at Char, Fair Trade Green Moving and UnitedHealthcare Laptop Donation

Char Restaurant will celebrate the opening of its new outdoor patio with an event called "Yappy Hour" on Saturday, Aug. 18, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Espy: Trump Tariffs Hurt Mississippi Farmers; Opponents Dodge Issue

President Donald Trump's tariffs on China are hurting Mississippi farmers, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Espy said in a press conference at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum on Friday.

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.

beheard.world

On Tuesday, Aug. 7, performance troupe beheard.world will perform in Jackson for its first show on a five-city tour through cities along the Great Migration Trail, or the path of 4 million African Americans who fled the South in the 1900s in search of social and economic justice.

DuBard Dyslexia Symposium, Universities Studying Slavery Symposium and MSU Meteorological Award

The DuBard School for Language Disorders at The University of Southern Mississippi will host the 22nd annual DuBard Symposium Sept. 13-14 at the Thad Cochran Center on the Hattiesburg campus.

Tate Reeves, Transport Director Differ Over Highway Communication

Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday that a state agency director is backing off of accusations that Reeves and his staff used political pressure to push a highway project near his home.

JPS Bond Should Pass, Working Together Jackson Says

Working Together Jackson pledged to bring at least 2,000 "yes" votes to Jackson Public School's bond referendum on Aug. 7.

Republican Women Honored for Work Against Human Trafficking in State

Republican Mississippi women are helping to help end human sex trafficking and help its victims, a prominent Jackson-area domestic-violence organization said Monday.

Billy Brewer

Former University of Mississippi head football coach Homer Ervin "Billy" Brewer lived long enough to find out he would be inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame this year. Unfortunately, he died May 12, only two months before the Hall of Fame intended to honor him.

One Lake's 'Controlled Meeting' a 'Propaganda Machine' To Some Attendees

The potential for outrage, raised voices and loud arguments at the One Lake Public Meeting was never recognized. But, One Lake project members were prepared for the possibility for pushback against their plan to create redevelop a section of the Pearl River through Jackson, while promising flood-control benefits.

The Future of Foster Care in Mississippi

Foster care in Mississippi is facing a financial crisis. The budget for the 2019 fiscal year is $23 million short, stretching an already-thin budget even further.

Tekeydra Lee

Tekeydra Lee was in California, "living her best life," she says, when she got a phone call from her father, Tim C. Lee, who is an alumnus of Jackson State University.

Bond Supporters: ‘We’re Hoping for Change’

Teachers, students and Jackson Public Schools board members filled the community center in Jackson on July 17 for a people's assembly in support of the upcoming $65-million bond referendum.

Planned Parenthood Braces for Battle

Federal funds cannot pay for abortions, but anti-abortion rights advocates and lawmakers object to funding Planned Parenthood at all with federal and state dollars due to the fact that they still offer abortions.

Mayor Lumumba in New York City for Leadership Training

Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba is going back to school this summer to study leadership and management practices, as one of 40 mayors chosen for an intensive education program with the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative.

Task Force Draft: Release Names in Officer-involved Shootings Within 48 Hours

The Officer ID Task Force met Monday night to discuss a draft of a policy to identify Jackson police officers who shoot people. The draft policy says the City will release the names the officers who discharge their guns within 48 hours.

Soul Wired in Fondren, Yoga in the Park and Partners Worldwide

Stacey “Soul” Winters, owner of Soul Wired Café, officially reopened her business in Fondren on June 1 following a soft opening in March.

Congress Street Undergoing Overhaul Near City Hall, Due to AARP Grant

A grant from nonprofit AARP will help transform a stretch of Congress Street into a more pedestrian-friendly area, a press release from the City of Jackson says.

Dorothy Stewart Samuel

Dorothy Stewart Samuel, who died at the age of 80 on Friday, July 6, was a visionary, educator and activist, daughter Angela Stewart says.

Cory Booker: U.S. Senate Hopeful Mike Espy Is South's Rising Star

"That is the star that I see rising in the South," U.S. Sen. Cory Booker said of former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy. "That is the hope that this nation must have in Washington, D.C. And God willing, the people of Mississippi willing, we will have Mike Espy as the next United States senator."

Ellington