News

Hood Joins Net Neutrality Fight

Attorney General Jim Hood will challenge the Federal Communications Commission's decision earlier this year to repeal net neutrality regulations.

MUW Cystic Fibrosis Grant, UMMC HIV Testing Center and Millsaps International Perspectives Program

On Feb. 16 and 17, Millsaps College hosted a campus-wide climate change conference as part of its new International Perspectives Program.

Malaika Quarterman

Jackson Public Schools named Malaika Quarterman, a performing arts teacher at Power Academic & Performing Arts Complex in Belhaven, as Teacher of the Year on Jan. 29.

Equal Pay Amendment 'Harmful' to Mississippi Workers, Advocates Say

Equal-pay advocates say that an amendment the Mississippi House of Representatives passed to guarantee that women are paid as much as men is actually harmful because it exempts many employees from the protection.

Luke Reynolds

The start of the 2018 college baseball season was a long wait for Luke Reynolds. The current University of Southern Mississippi third-baseman hadn't played in a college game in two years.

JPD Investigating Officer-Involved Shooting

Two unnamed male officers with the Jackson Police Department came into contact with two men at the 1300 block of Deer Park Street at about 3 p.m. Wednesday. A narcotics investigation resulted in an alleged shootout between officers and a man who's name has not yet been released.

Elizabeth Fowler: An Artist's Journey

Elizabeth Fowler, a Noxubee County native, says she liked the idea of art when she was a kid, but wasn't good at  representational drawing.

Timaal Bradford

Timaal Bradford, 26, says he appreciates the different ways hip-hop can be interpreted.

Budgets, Infrastructure Funding and What’s Still to Come

It's halftime in the Mississippi legislative session, and the heavy lifting for lawmakers trying to pass a balanced budget is just beginning.

Judge: Charter School Funding Constitutional

Mississippi's charter-school law does not violate the state's Constitution, Hinds County Chancery Court Judge Dewayne Thomas ruled almost a year after getting the case.

An ‘Open Container’ Blueprint

Mississippi's liquor rules are enough to make your head spin before you take a single sip of alcohol—if it's available for purchase where you live.

'God-fearing' JSU President Hosts Tech Panel on Coding, 'Brain Drain,' Jobs

U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker matched the energy of the bustling student center at Jackson State University where he hosted a technology roundtable featuring Federal Communications Commissioner Brendan Carr and JSU President William Bynum on Feb. 19.

Victoria Carpenter

Victoria Carpenter says she has always wanted to help others by making them feel confident and secure in knowing that someone is rooting for them and wishing them the best in their endeavors. One of her main goals has always been to exude radiance and integrity by helping others reach their full potential, she says.

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.

Better Together Commission Hires Contractor for JPS Study

The Better Together Commission, an independent group of community leaders and stakeholders tasked with soliciting input from Jackson Public Schools families, hired Insight Education Group to complete an in-depth study of the school district.

UMMC Epic Connect, Poetry Out Loud and Ezra Jack Keats Book Awards

The University of Mississippi Medical Center has partnered with the Mississippi Department of Health to launch a project called UMMC Epic Connect, which will link electronic health records between the two organizations.

Andy Kennedy

Andy Kennedy couldn't have picked a worse time to have what looks to be his first losing season as the University of Mississippi men's basketball coach. Before this season, his 12th with the Rebels, he has never posted a losing record.

'Brain Drain' Tax Credit Legislation Passes Mississippi House

The Mississippi House of Representatives wants young people to stay in Mississippi. It unanimously passed a measure Wednesday to offer tax breaks to recent college graduates who stay in Mississippi and work in the state, immediately after graduation from a four-year college or university.

Gang Bill Could Increase Prison Costs, Disparately Affect African Americans

Proposed legislation to crack down on gangs statewide could lead to increased prison costs, a move that would counteract the state's progress in decreasing the number of inmates—and taxpayer dollars used to incarcerate those inmates—since 2014.

Pam Confer

The Canton Chamber of Commerce Main Street Association named Pam Confer, a Jackson resident who has been on the chamber board since 2015, as its new president in December 2017.

Never Back Down: Mississippi Escalates War on Gangs

Mississippi law enforcement may soon be able to decide young people are a gang even if they're not part of a larger criminal enterprise with a hierarchy and criminal connections beyond whomever they got the pot from.

Medicaid and Guns Bills Live, Vouchers Die

Rep. Jason White, R-West, who is largely responsible for writing the House's Medicaid bill, supported Rep. Cheikh Taylor's amendment to the House Medicaid legislation and asked the House to vote for it.

City Contracting Battles: Veolia, Fisher Fight On

A month has passed since the City held its first Equal Business Opportunity Review Committee hearing to mediate a dispute between the larger Massachusetts-based company, Veolia North America - South, LLC, and Fisher Construction of Jackson.

Lacy Ellinwood

Lacy Ellinwood, development director at the Mississippi Library Commission and bass guitarist for local band Kicking, says today's librarians are not the librarians of the past.

Decriminalizing Pot in the City

Jackson has become the latest city in the nation to propose legislation to decriminalize marijuana possession of 30 grams or less within city limits.

Re-Entry Reforms Still Alive in Legislature

Mississippi can begin to look at justice reinvestment, and it should be a priority, Andre de Gruy, the state public defender who is also on the state's Corrections and Criminal Justice Oversight Task Force, told the re-entry council earlier this month.

Proposed School Board Election Changes Dead by Bipartisan Vote

In a bipartisan shutdown, Sen. Kevin Blackwell's bill to change school-board elections statewide died in the Mississippi Legislature on Monday.

Beacon and Unbound Studios, La Brioche at the Museum Café and Crunch Fitness

Jackson natives Nicole Wyatt Jenkins and Jason Jenkins opened Beacon, which they describe as a "consciously curated, quality goods and creative supply shop," on Dec. 7 last year. The shop occupies the ground floor of the former Fondren Art Gallery location.

Henrietta Leavitt: Under a 'Silent Sky'

In the opening scene of "Silent Sky," two sisters, Henrietta and Margaret Leavitt, gaze at the wonder of the night sky and playfully banter about their two divergent passions.

Proposed Gun Law Would Allow Lawsuits over Conceal-Carry Laws

Mississippians with enhanced concealed-carry licenses, who are required to take an instructional course on firearms training before they receive their license, could file a lawsuit against public entities, like state agencies or universities, with policies limiting their right to carry a gun if House Bill 1083 becomes state law.

Ellington