News

MAEP Formula Explained

MAEP funding (theoretically) covers teacher and district employee salaries, retirement and insurance, instruction materials, operational costs, transportation, and special, vocational, gifted and alternative education.

Debating Initiative 42

Rep. Greg Snowden, R-Meridian, and Jim Keith, a Republican lawyer and Initiative 42 proponent, discussed Initiative 42 and the legislative alternative 42A on Oct. 19 at the Capital Club.

Cristen Hemmins: Education, Equal Pay and Taking On Tollison

Jackson native Cristen Hemmins decided to run for the District 9 Senate seat (which includes Oxford and most of Lafayette County) when her opponent, Gray Tollison, introduced Initiative 42A to the Senate.

Oswalt: Hinds Jail ‘Correctable and Fixable’

Charlette Oswalt recently met with the Jackson Free Press about why she should be Hinds County's first woman sheriff.

MAEP: The Formula and How Politics Got in the Way

The state Legislature established the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, or MAEP, in 1997 to avoid equity lawsuits being filed across the country.

‘Pay or Stay’: City’s ‘Debtor’s Jail’ Under Fire

Michael Davis had two choices: Write a check to the City of Jackson for $19,403.81 for fines and court costs or spend 335 days at the Raymond Detention Center.

Kamilah Grim

Kamilah Grim calls herself a jack-of-all-trades.

Fondren Project May Help Creek Flooding

A new Fondren development project promises to renovate an empty McRae's space on Meadowbrook Road and address the longstanding problem with flooding, overflow and drainage from Eubanks Creek within a year.

Educating the Next Generation’s Workforce

Houston Sherrod spoke to students Oct. 14 at the Jackson Public Schools Career and Development Center about his work as a senior service technician at Atmos Energy during Careers in Energy Week.

Steven Willis Released From Hinds Jail

Thanks in part to attorneys and a small group of activists, a judge has released Steven Willis from the Raymond Detention Center and loved ones hope he can get the medical treatment he needs.

Yarber Downtown 'Resort' Plan Draws Council Scrutiny

Some members of the Jackson City Council are gently pushing back on a proposal from Mayor Tony Yarber's administration to designate part of downtown as a "qualified resort area and entertainment district."

Panera Bread, Small-Business Mentors, Teen Wellness and Paralegals at Tulane

Panera Bread will open its first location in the Jackson metro area Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 a.m.

Genese Lavalais

Last week, Jackson State University named Genese Lavalais the associate athletic director for academics and the senior woman administrator.

Bill Wilson

Bill Wilson was studying to go into ministry at Belhaven College, now Belhaven University, when he realized that art was his life's calling.

Rep. Lester 'Bubba' Carpenter: 'Deeply Sorry' for Racial Comments

State Rep. Lester "Bubba" Carpenter, a Burnsville Republican, this morning walked back racially charged statements made public over the weekend about the Initiative 42 schools-funding referendum.

Midtown Public Charter School Principal Resigns; Interim Found

Midtown Public Charter School is looking for a permanent principal, after the original head of school resigned in October.

Under Pressure: Some Mississippi Educators Silenced on School-Funding Battle

Advocates of Initiative 42 complain that warnings to educators are designed to divide higher education and K-12 education communities, while also silencing them on an issue close to many of their hearts.

Dak Prescott

Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott was a serious candidate to win the Heisman Trophy at this time last year. These days, that's not the case.

Prisoner Says Hinds County Jailers Ignoring His Medical Needs

A man incarcerated at the Raymond Detention Center for seven months says jailers are denying him medical treatment for injuries related to a gunshot wound.

Sean Payton

A report that surfaced this past Sunday said that after this season, teams such as the Miami Dolphins, who have already fired their head coach, and possibly the Indianapolis Colts would inquire about a deal for Saints head coach Sean Payton.

Public-Ed Foes Swooping In to Block Ed Funding

The war is on against public-education funding with large political advocacy groups and GOP donors' dollars pouring into anti-Initiative 42 Political Initiative Committees (PICs).

Sharon Brown: A Woman on a Mission to Change the State Flag

Sharon Brown isn't waiting for the Legislature to start the process to change the Mississippi flag.

Bus Union Decries ‘Outsourcing’ of JATRAN

With the City of Jackson in the middle of a marketing blitz for recent and proposed changes to the capital city's mass-transit service, JATRAN, a chorus of discontent is growing among the bus system's operators and riders who say the rollout has gone less than smoothly.

Bailey: Energy Security and Diversity Vital

When listening to Brent Bailey extol the virtues of alternative energy, biofuels and improved efficiency standards, it's easy to forget that he's a Republican running for the Mississippi Public Service Commission from the Central District.

Lawsuit: City of Jackson Running a 'Debtors' Prison'

Equal Justice Under Law, a public-interest law firm in Washington, D.C., and the MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Mississippi School of Law, says the City of Jackson is running a debtors' prison.

Downtown Y Dropping Basketball, Raising Funds to Stay Alive

Jackson's downtown YMCA is undertaking a life-saving effort involving major renovations, reinvestment, and downsizing of the facility's financially draining programs and activities.

Hello Fondren Fro-Yo, Tom Ramsey's Next Move and School of Music

La Finestra's lease recently ran out, and owner Tom Ramsey has chosen not to renew it. The restaurant will serve its final meal on Sunday, Oct. 18.

Richard Grant

In his latest work, "Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta", Richard Grant delves into a region that's foreign but not at all far away.

Web of National, State PACs and PICs Fight Initiative 42

As the November election draws near, large political advocacy groups and Republican donor’s dollars are pouring into anti-Initiative 42 Political Initiative Committees (PICs), mainly the KidsFirst and Improve Mississippi committees. These two groups alone have raised more than $300,000 in the past few months to try to defeat the citizens' initiative to force state lawmakers to follow the law and fully fund the Mississippi Adequate Education Program.

Inside Stacey Pickering's Garage

State auditor candidate Joce Pritchett's campaign has launched a new website, pickeringsgarage.com, detailing allegations against the incumbent auditor, Stacey Pickering, that he used campaign finances to pay for a garage door and personal vehicles.

Ellington