News

Jumping the Line: Caught in the Crossfire of Ridgeland's Demographic Struggles

Many parents in urban areas, met with the spatial and academic barrier of their zip codes, have no choice but to send their children to the public school available to them within their school districts, regardless of its performance.

Experts on Police Pursuits: Another Way

Police pursuits take nearly one life a day in the United States, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows. Of these, one out of every three deaths is an innocent bystander or motorist.

Blair Neelley

When you first walk into the Princess Salon, bright pink walls and giant posters of Disney princesses surround you. In the center of it all is Blair Neelley.

'These Are Human Beings': Jackson City Council Passes Resolution Against HB 1523

Late tonight, the Jackson City Council unanimously passed a resolution proclaiming their opposition to the controversial Mississippi House Bill 1523 just less than 10 hours after Gov. Phil Bryant signed it into law today. The resolution mirrors Biloxi's resolution but with added amendments.

BREAKING: City of Jackson Shocked by Low Water-Sewer Revenue, Litigation Ahead?

The City of Jackson is almost 12 percent behind projected revenue for water and sewer for this fiscal year, and the administration is considering potential litigation involving one of the vendors, it said Monday.

'Total Infringement': Governor Signs HB 1523 Over Protests of Business Leaders, Citizens

Gov. Phil Bryant signed House Bill 1523 into law today, which will allow businesses, circuit clerks and medical professionals to recuse themselves from offering services based on a religious belief that marriage is "between one man and one woman."

UPDATE: Council Approves Trilogy for Water Corrosion Study; Emergency Loan to Fund It

Mayor Tony Yarber introduced a $291,989 contract with Trilogy Engineering for a corrosion-control study to the Jackson City Council yesterday during its work session, with the means to pay for it through an emergency state loan.

Ann Saunders

The three front galleries of the Arts Center of Mississippi are covered in creations from Jackson-based artist Ann Saunders.

#ConfederateHeritageMonth: Your Essential Primer to How It Blew Up in Mississippi

This month, as I'd hoped would happen when I broke the story, many people around the country—especially historians—are using the hashtag #ConfederateHistoryMonth to share facts about the Confederacy.

City of Jackson Unveils New Data Portal, Part of Transparency Initiative

Mayor Tony Yarber's favorite part of the new data portal opened to the public this morning is the live tracking of infrastructure construction projects, including pothole repair.

Conservative Policy Center, Lobbyists Fund Poll Question on HB 1523

Within 36 hours after the Mississippi Senate passed House Bill 1523, co-sponsor Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, took up the bill first thing Friday morning, telling the House that reporting about the bill has been biased against it.

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.

City Workers Protest Furloughs, Demand Answers

Earlier this morning, City of Jackson workers, Mississippi Alliance of State Workers/ Communications Workers of America members, the Black Caucus of the Young Democrats of America and community organizers held a rally outside City Hall to protest the city-mandated monthly furlough day.

JPS: Lead Above 'Regulatory Limit' Found at Lee Elementary, Details Testing Plan

One of the water fountains in Lee Elementary tested for lead above "regulatory levels" during the first round of tests that Jackson Public Schools conducted.

UPDATED: Anti-LGBT 'Conscience' Bill Includes Judges and Clerks, Makes It Harder to Seek Damages

The Senate passed House Bill 1523, the "Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination" bill," last night after over two hours of debate, including an amendment that makes it harder for individuals to sue and seek damages based upon their "sincerely held religious belief" that marriage is between a man and a woman.

JPS Gifted Students Teach Classmates About Mardi Gras with a Parade

Decked out in feathers and beads and decorative umbrellas, the sixth-grade Northwest Jackson IB Middle School students hosted a lively parade celebrating the historical and cultural significance of Mardi Gras in the front hallway of the school to an enthusiastic audience of their peers.

Carlos Diaz

If Jackson State wants to make a run at another SWAC title, it will need catcher Carlos Diaz to continue his stellar play.

JMAA Says Republicans Want to Control Contracts, Rallies Public Against ‘Takeover’ Bill

Warning that the airport “takeover” is about money and control of contracts, members of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority and its supporters gathered today in the echoing rotunda of the Mississippi Capitol to voice their opposition to the still-pending Senate Bill 2162.

Dems Promise Retribution, Evoke Slavery in ‘Hijacked Airport’ House Debate

The black and Democratic caucuses did not pull punches in testimony against the Jackson airport "takeover" bill that passed the Mississippi House March 24, including attempts to modify the legislation with eight amendments that all failed.

Jackson Airport CEO Newman Outlines Plans for Hotel, Low-Cost Carrier

The airport's chief executive officer, during an interview at the airport on March 24 just as the Mississippi House was passing its controversial "takeover" bill of the facility, outlined a five-year plan that centered on several development and growth priorities.

Parents’ Conundrum: Mississippi Charter Schools

Jackson mom and business owner Tracie James was dissatisfied with the lack of one-on-one opportunities at school for her youngest son, formerly a North Jackson Elementary School student in Jackson Public Schools.

The Pain and Danger of Hot Pursuits

When Ward 4 Jackson City Councilman De'Keither Stamps stepped up to the microphone on March 25 at the corner of West Capitol Street and Galvez in west Jackson, he wanted to express the magnitude of the police-pursuit problem in the Jackson metro.

Wade Patterson

Growing up, Wade Patterson wanted to be a novelist. But after reading the book "Moviemakers' Master Class" by Laurent Tirard ($16, Faber & Faber, 2002) during high school, he decided he wanted to be a filmmaker.

Trafficking, Anti-Terrorism Bills Still Alive; LGBT Rights Under Fire, Again

Mississippi has a human-trafficking problem that gets far too little law-enforcement and medical attention, but a bill is still alive in the Mississippi Legislature that would provide more resources to fight the problem.

Politicians for Sale? Mississippi Economic Council Knows How to Throw a Party

Funding for the state's crumbling infrastructure didn't exactly top priorities for legislators on their first round of revenue bill deadlines, and Senate Bill 2921 made it over to the House by four votes.

In Surprise Move, State's Abortion Clinic Added to Bill Restricting Planned Parenthood Funding

In a surprise move Tuesday, the Mississippi House targeted Medicaid funding for the state’s only abortion clinic in addition to the state’s sole Planned Parenthood clinic. The bill would prohibit the Mississippi Division of Medicaid from paying any entity that performs non-therapeutic abortions.

Ellington