News

Fondren Sidewalk Project Delayed, Scaled Back to Lower Costs

Fondren's four-year-old sidewalk facelift proposal, which would bring the neighborhood in compliance with federal disabilities law, may take even longer because it was way over-budget.

Repealing Tax Cut Will Yield $6 Billion for Infrastructure, Senate Dems Say

Repealing the "Taxpayer Pay Raise Act of 2016" is the first step to funding the state's infrastructure needs, our Mississippi state senators, all Democrats, say.

Chris Moore

Chris Moore, 26, has been making movies for more than a decade. His admiration for the horror genre began when his dad introduced him to the 1953 film "House of Wax."

JPS Superintendent Officially Resigns, Board Names Interim

Dr. Cedrick Gray formally submitted his letter of resignation Tuesday, Nov. 1, which was effective immediately. After two consecutive executive sessions, the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees announced that Dr. Freddrick Murray has agreed to serve as interim superintendent.

Electing Justice: Money, Partisanship and Dirty Ads

Judicial races are meant to be nonpartisan. After all, the judicial branch is a separate arm of the state government from the Legislature and the governor's office.

JPS Students Confront Police Brutality With Art

When Forest Hill High School teacher Paige Watson taught 9th-grade English last year, her students read law professor Michelle Alexander's book, "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness," as part of a unit focusing on police brutality in light of the police-shooting deaths of unarmed black people.

‘Mad and Scared’: The Religious Shift in U.S., Mississippi Politics

Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour says no one has seen a presidential election like this one in his lifetime, at least. Speaking at the Mississippi Economic Council's Hob Nob event last week, Barbour said Americans are "mad and scared" because America has experienced a weak post-recession recovery and see little economic growth in their day-to-day lives.

Anik Kurkjian

Anik Kurkjian, who is the director of outreach and special projects for the Mississippi Museum of Art, clearly remembers the first time she met her husband, Drew Young.

Turmoil at JSU: State Applies Heavy Hand

Jackson State University must brace itself for changes, from financial policies to a new president, in the wake of news that it has nearly exhausted its cash reserves.

Thai House Closing, Erik Kegler Interiors, Innovate Mississippi and MUW

Owners Watt and Tim Bunniran are closing their restaurant, Thai House, on Nov. 30 to go into retirement.

'Mississippi's Elections Are Not Rigged,' Secretary of State Promises

Mississippians will head to the polls in a week at more than 1,800 precincts around the state. Each polling precinct will have some of an estimated 10,000 trained poll workers and a bailiff. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann reminded reporters that that voters need to be aware of several laws on Election Day.

Former U.S. Secretary of Education Will Serve as Interim JSU President

Rod Paige has dedicated his life to breaking through barriers and providing opportunities for young people to succeed.

JPS Supe Intends to Resign

Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Cedrick Gray gave the school board his verbal intent to resign on Friday at a special school-board meeting.

Drought-like Conditions Lead to More Burn Bans, One Fatality

Droughts can lead to wildfires, which is why, in the midst of continuing drought in the South, Gov. Phil Bryant issued a burn ban for more than 50 counties on Oct. 11. Today, that number has grown to 69.

Natalie Collier

At Conversation About Community, Natalie Collier plans to discuss the impact that living in fear has on life in the state and how Mississippians can work to move past it.

Court: Judge Weill Can Continue Hiring Private Attorneys for Public Defense

Hinds County Circuit Judge Jeff Weill can continue hiring private attorneys instead of public defenders in criminal cases before him, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled this week.

MAEP Co-author Calls Tinkering with Public-School Formula 'Terrifying'

"Like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic." That's the way Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, described the joint meeting between the House and Senate Education Committees yesterday.

House Speaker: MAEP Has ‘Failed’

"Antiquated, confusing, inefficient, unreliable, unpredictable. What do these words describe?" House Speaker Philip Gunn said at the annual Hob Nob on Oct. 27. "They describe the Mississippi Adequate Education Program funding formula."

JSU President Resigns, New Dorms on Hold

Jackson State University President Carolyn Meyers has submitted her resignation just days after the state's college board put plans for new dorms at the historically black public university on hold in the wake of financial turmoil there.

Chris Coghlan

Game one of the 2016 World Series wasn't kind to former University of Mississippi Rebel and current Chicago Cubs player Chris Coghlan. In fact, there wasn't much for any member of the Cubs to be excited about after the Cleveland Indians steamrolled them for 6-0 win.

Electing Justice: The JFP Interview with Justice Jim Kitchens

Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Jim Kitchens will complete his first full eight-year term on the state's highest court this year. Before joining the court in 2008, Kitchens worked primarily as a civil and criminal trial lawyer in Copiah County, where he lives.

Electing Justice: The JFP Interview with Judge Kenny Griffis

Judge Kenny Griffis is no stranger to the bench; he has been on the Court of Appeals for almost 14 years and has six years left of his term.

Changing the Form of City Government

On a vote of 4-1, the Jackson City Council last week shot down Ward 4 Councilman De'Keither Stamps' proposed resolution supporting a citizen-led initiative to change the form of government from a "strong mayor" to a council-manager form of government. However, it isn't just the council that stands in the way of a change.

Secret Tapes Reveal DA’s Private Side

Former Assistant District Attorney Ivon Johnson taped conversations with Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith on May 9 and June 18, the last session only four days before sheriff's deputies arrested Smith on an affidavit from the attorney general's office.

Leigh Laney

Leigh Laney, a Madison resident who has been cycling for 30 years, founded the NunChuck Bunnies cycling team with her friend Gigi Carter to promote women's cycling.

What’s Next in Planned Parenthood Bill Fight?

Mississippi women who use Medicaid can legally continue to get family-planning services like birth control and cancer screenings at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Hattiesburg and at the state's only abortion clinic after a federal judge struck down the Mississippi Legislature's attempt to block Medicaid payments to the facilities.

Ellington