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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
Mississippi Senate Passes 15-Week Abortion Ban, with Changes
Mississippi senators have passed a bill that would ban abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
Beyond Stigma: Helping the Jacksonians Others Reject
Opening in 1987, the Sandifer House on Jefferson Street offered men and women living with AIDS respite from the continuing stigma of being HIV-positive in the early years of the AIDS crisis.
Sumati Thomas
It was at Murrah High School where Sumati Thomas, the coordinator of institutional research at Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society's headquarters in Jackson, first discovered her love of science and technology.
The Racist Roots of Disenfranchising Voters
Mississippi is one of 12 states with disenfranchisement laws that can affect people for life. The list of 22 disenfranchising crimes means an estimated 218,181 people in the state are unable to vote, a new study from the Sentencing Project, One Voice and the Mississippi NAACP, shows.
Providing Hope in a Crumbling Library
Despite a seemingly grim reality, Jackson-Hinds Libraries Executive Director Patty Furr has hope for the Capital city's branches and the communities they serve, and she credits the work Ruth Jinkiri is doing as an example of a good library's mission.
JPS Board Pushes Supe Search Forward
Jackson Public Schools could have a new superintendent by July if the Board of Trustees gets its way. Earlier this month, the board finalized its top two superintendent search firm candidates: McPherson & Jacobsen LLC and Hazard Young Attea Associates.
Mayor: No More Mugshots Released of Juveniles, People Shot by Police
Monday was the day Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba signed an executive order to stop the Jackson Police Department to stop disseminating mugshots of those involved in officer-involved shootings, such as a young woman local police killed by firing into her car in late January.
Club Vudu, The Murals and Spectacles
Club Vudu, a new nightclub coming to downtown Jackson, will hold its grand opening on Friday, March 2.
Ida B. Wells
The Old Capitol Museum will host a reception and book signing for author Paula J. Giddings' "Ida, A Sword Among Lions: Ida B. Wells and the Campaign Against Lynching" on Tuesday, Feb. 27, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Open Containers, Bike Shares, Guns and Angie Thomas on City Hall Agenda
Renaming streets, voting on Ward 7 Councilwoman Virgi Lindsay's open-container ordinance, bringing a bike share to Jackson, approving a new roof at the zoo and other issues will take the stage at the Jackson City Council's regular meeting at 6 p.m. on Feb. 27 at City Hall.
'One Lake' Bond Bill Passes House By Slim Margin After Questions
Proponents of the "One Lake" project along the Pearl River through Jackson got a financial boost when the Mississippi House of Representatives passed a nearly $100-million bond and loan measure by a three-vote margin on Thursday.
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.
Blogs
- Boil Water Lifted for Most Jackson ZIPs
- City Responds to Hinds County Emergency Declaration
- ZDD Giveaways and Festival on Mar 25, but No Parade
- Casino-Mogul Trump Going Against the Odds With 'Muslim Ban'
- Millsaps Issues Statement on Trump's Immigration Order
- Court Denies Attempts to Dismiss Election Complaint for "Straw Contest"
- Roll-Off Dumpster Day on February 4
- City: Court Rules Rankin Can Build Own Wastewater Treatment Plant
- LaDarion Ammons Announces Run for Ward 7 Council Seat
- Tornado Warning for Central Hinds, NE Rankin, Madison Counties
Video
- Gov. Reeves Answers Nick Judin's Questions
- Chris McDaniel on Morning Joe
- Word on the street: What would you like to see come to Jackson?
- Trump Rally
- Trump Rally
- More Trump Rally Footage
- Trump Rally
- Kameron Palmer On Saving Our Sons
- Joel D. Swan On Saving Our Sons
- Attorney Martin Perkins Speaks for Inmates