News

Money, Medicaid, Social Justice Dominate Black Caucus' Town Hall

The state budget, expanding Medicaid and social-justice issues were hot topics at a town-hall meeting the Hinds County members of the Legislative Black Caucus hosted Thursday at the Mississippi Capitol. The group focused on key policy issues the caucus hopes to address in the upcoming legislative session.

JPD, Fair Commission Say No Payment, Security Problems This Year

The Jackson Police Department and the Mississippi State Fair Commission say they are confident there will not be a repeat of last year's litigious ending to a disagreement about overtime pay for police security at the fair.

Claude Stuart

Comedian Claude Stuart, a Greenville, Miss., native currently residing in Los Angeles, is returning to Mississippi for the first time in four years to put on a show at The Hideaway tonight, Sept. 30, at 8 p.m.

Robert Shuler Smith Reinstated as Hinds District Attorney, Despite Indictment

Robert Shuler Smith is the District Attorney of Hinds County again, effectively immediately after the Mississippi Supreme Court today overturned an order barring Smith from his duties.

JPD Needs Almost $1 Million for Overtime, Council Approves Funds

The Jackson City Council approved adjustments to the final 2017 City budget today, including an additional $996,173 for the police department to cover overtime on the last paychecks of 2016.

Cycling for a Cure

Lori Newcomb was diagnosed with stage III ovarian cancer in 2013. She says that while stage III is pretty far along to be diagnosed, it is not uncommon among ovarian-cancer patients because the symptoms are difficult to detect.

Patrick Kelly

Vicksburg-native fashion designer Patrick Kelly's mission was to make people smile. His designs were whimsical and playful, often including elements such as multi-colored buttons and bows.

Jackson Municipal Airport Authority Receives $17 Million in Grant Funds

The FAA through the Airport Improvement Program and MDOT awarded grant funds to support airfield construction projects at both the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN) and Hawkins Field Airport (HKS).

The State of Mississippi’s Debt, Finances

The State of Mississippi is in an $8.4-billion financial hole, a new report based on the State's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, or CAFR, shows.

The Comeback: Adult Education on the Rise

Former famed attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs says he found purpose in prison by helping educate his fellow inmates. In federal prisons, any inmate without a high-school equivalency diploma is required to take classes toward earning one.

Is Mississippi Too Selective with Charters?

Some parents in Mississippi who don't want to send their children to district schools or private schools have another option: charter schools. But as these publicly funded, privately run schools have proliferated across the nation, Mississippi's charter-school growth has been relatively sluggish. Only three charter schools exist in the state, all of which are in the Jackson area.

Susan Olmsted

Cathead Distillery Marketing Manager Susan Olmsted says one of the reasons she has always been drawn to small business is because the people in it have to rely on each other more than in larger businesses.

Arts Council’s Future Uncertain, Some Cry Foul

In uncertain financial times for the City of Jackson, some council members worry that the mayoral administration could deploy departmental cuts, such as the defunding of the Greater Jackson Arts Council, as political salvos.

Henley-Young Increases Mental Health Care

Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center will soon be able to offer mental-health assessments and treatments after a court-appointed monitor's report led the county to allocate $190,000 to expand the facility's staff.

Alleged Smith-Turner Connection Revealed in Case 16-120

The connection between Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith and Darnell Turner, a criminal defendant named in one of the six counts that Smith faced originally, has been something of a mystery.

Penguin Closed for Good, UMMC Child Health Initiative, More on Local 463

The Penguin Restaurant & Bar, originally slated to reopen this fall after closing for renovations on Friday, July 8, posted a message to Facebook on Sept. 24 stating that the restaurant will not be reopening.

Robert Hicks

"The Orphan Mother" has been a long time coming for Franklin, Tenn.-based novelist Robert Hicks. Even in the author notes of his 2005 New York Times bestseller, "The Widow of the South," Hicks recounted his fascination with the story of ex-slave Mariah Reddick, whose former owner, Carrie McGavock, was the titular "widow" in his first novel.

Youth Court Judge Sues Hinds County Over Budget

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors finds itself caught between two judges in their efforts to address issues at the Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center.

Mississippi Subsidizes Advanced Placement Test Fees

Historically under-served students will have increased access to advanced-placement tests, thanks to a $189,781 grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

Jerry Rice

In sports, the word "greatest" gets thrown around a lot. Just do a quick Google search, and you will find articles from the greatest football quarterback to the greatest badminton player.

Rule Changes to Civil Service Commission Under Fire

The City of Jackson Civil Service Commission reinstated an employee of 25 years, who had been laid off before others with less tenure, raising questions about an Aug. 11 change to rules outlining how the administration chooses which employees leave first. The layoffs are part of the City's budget-cutting efforts, but some feel they are targeting the wrong employees.

Study: Mississippi Has 'Two School Systems'

Mississippians in the highest income-tax brackets have enjoyed the limited economic growth the state has seen since the Great Recession, according to a recent report by Loyola University in New Orleans.

Tracy DeVries

In February, the Women's Foundation of Mississippi hosted a fundraising event called SMART Party to raise money for the organization. The fundraiser drew in crowds of people willing to donate and support the cause. Tracy DeVries was among them.

Sheriff: Volunteer Deputies on Bikes to Patrol Downtown 'Transients'

Hinds County Sheriff Victor Mason wants to sweep away the "transient" population downtown with a bike-and-foot patrol comprised of reserve officers, all without expense to the county.

Ridgeland, HUD Reach Settlement in 'Shifting Demographics' Dispute

Just a few months after the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development filed a complaint against the City of Ridgeland for alleged violations of the Fair Housing Act, it announced a conciliatory agreement with that city yesterday.

Scott Stricklin

Mississippi State University needed a new athletic director in 2010 after Greg Byrne left to take the position of vice president of athletics at the University of Arizona. He made a couple of homerun hires in head football coach Dan Mullen and head baseball coach John Cohen during his two years as the athletic director for the Bulldogs.

Cuts to City Budget Hurt, Surprise

Patricia Phillips bought a white 2014 Mazda 6 last November because she felt confident in her steady paycheck and supervisor position at an early-childhood care center with the City of Jackson.

Fostering Children on a Faith-based Fast Track

Children in the State of Mississippi's custody have few options when the new Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services remove them from their homes. The Jackson metro area and a few surrounding counties together have 272 foster homes—but 1,099 kids who need a place to go. Almost half those foster kids live in Hinds County.

Eric Knapp

Pastor Eric Knapp says that on Mother's Day in 2001, God finally made it clear to him what his vocation would be.

State Stiffs After-School Programs

In addition to project-based learning, SR1 kids travel statewide and compete in robotics tournaments and visit college campuses. They perform well on state-testing assessments across all subject areas, not just math. Even their parents get help from SR1on how to advocate for them as students.

Ellington