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Vicki Slater

Vicki Slater is elevating a message of populism in her campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

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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.

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Walnut Grove Warden Defends Staff Training

Walnut Grove has cleaned up its act. That's the message from top officials with the beleaguered privately operated prison and the Mississippi Department of Corrections. It's also the reason the MDOC wants to get out from under a federal court order over conditions at the prison.

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Naomi Wilson

Naomi Wilson has performed ballet for 13 years, beginning when she was 3, and came to Ballet Mississippi in January 2013.

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Despite Emergency Snub, City Working on Infrastructure

The City of Jackson is moving ahead with plans for massive infrastructure upgrades despite the city council's snub of Mayor Tony Yarber's request for a civil-emergency proclamation earlier this week.

DA Dropping Charges Against Willie Jerome Manning in One Set of Murders

Prosecutors will dismiss capital murder charges against Willie Jerome Manning, 46, for the deaths of two Starkville women in 1993 as Manning continues fighting his conviction in a separate case.

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Yarber's Emergency Decree Rejected, But It Doesn't Mean a Thing

Last night's Jackson City Council meeting all but jumped the shark when an aide to Mayor Tony Yarber walked into the chamber carrying a bag full of bottled water to distribute to council members and city staff who, at that point, had been talking for about three hours.

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Jelani Barr: Unconventional Thinking

In a political environment filled with law-school grads and long-in-the-tooth politicians, Jelani Barr's bid for the Capitol might seem like a long shot, but the underdog has been driving across the state explaining why he believes Mississippi needs a common man representing them.

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Houston Cottrell

Houston Cottrell has worked toward the honor of being a Gracie jiu-jitsu instructor, one of the most respected names in the martial art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, since childhood.

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Jackson: Rankin Wastewater Plan ‘Disingenuous’

With Jackson and its citizens burdened with a $400 million consent decree to fix its sewer system, it was already going to be a tough hill to climb.

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Critics Blast ‘Third-Grade Gate’ Tests

Two years ago, at the urging of Gov. Phil Bryant, the Legislature passed the Literacy Based Promotion Act, but to the consternation of Democrats and other education advocates, minimal funding to implement the program came with the legislation.

Hinds Public Defenders: Judge Weill Setting a Bad Precedent in Barring Attorney

Assistant Hinds County Public Defender Alison Kelly says Judge Jeff Weill's charges are "extreme."

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Euphus Ruth

Photographer Euphus Ruth uses an early photographic process called collodion to produce art with a vintage aesthetic.

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New Pizza Joints for Jackson, Cold Drip Coffee and Jackson Zoo Endowment Fund

This year's Best of Jackson winner for Best Local Pizza and Best Hangover Food, The Pizza Shack, has seen one store close and a few more open over the past month.

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Conservative PAC Wants Term Limits

The United Conservatives Fund today said the group has filed documents with the secretary of state's office to start the process to limit how long some Mississippi officials can serve in office.

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Dr. Mary Elizabeth Hawkins

Dr. Mary Elizabeth Hawkins, a co-founder of Woman's Hospital (now Merit Health Woman's Hospital), passed away on April 7, 2015, at her home in Flora.

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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.

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Uncertainty About 3rd Grade Gate Standards Frustrates School Officials

With testing for the so-called 3rd grade reading gate—which requires students to pass a literacy test before moving to the next grade—now under way around the state, some public school leaders say they're frustrated because they haven't been told what a passing grade is for the test.

Mississippi Chooses Minnesota Company for Standardized Tests

Minnesota-based Questar Assessment will provide most of the standardized tests for Mississippi beginning next year.

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Supreme Court: Stallworth Does Not Have to Register as a Sex Offender

The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled today that a Jackson pastor, who was convicted of a sex crime in another state but had the conviction expunged, does not have to register as a sex offender in Mississippi.

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Jeb Bush on Hand for Special Needs Bill Signing

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush attended Senate Bill 2695's signing at the Capitol. The Mississippi program is based on one created in Florida under Gov. Bush, a Republican preparing to run for president.

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Anthony Alford

When Anthony Alford signed with Southern Miss after leading the Petal High School Panthers to the 6-A title during his senior season, it was a major recruiting coup.

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Jackson Wants Hearing on Rankin Wastewater Plan

The City of Jackson will ask state regulators for a formal evidentiary hearing to contest the approval of a wastewater treatment plant in west Rankin County.

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Analysis: Democrats Disappointed for the Children

Whether this past session of the Mississippi Legislature was successful depends largely on which party a lawmaker belonged to.

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Kila Milner

For Kila Milner, 34, a career in the restaurant industry lets her combine work she loves with her passion for Jackson, a combination that she says is a win-win.

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Shorting MAEP Basically a Tax Hike

Dr. Cedrick Gray, the superintendent of Jackson Public Schools, seems to be proving tight-fisted Mississippi lawmakers right when they say it doesn't necessarily take throwing money at schools to improve education.

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Court Spat Ensnares Defendants, Taxpayers

The list of cases Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Jeff Weill has taken from the county public defender's office and assigned to private attorneys has swelled to more than 60 and keeps growing.

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Proposed Capitol Street Lofts Get Tax Credits

Plans to spruce up what many people consider to be an eyesore across from the King Edward are finally a go.

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Report: Mississippi Among Worst Bang for Tax Bucks

A new report out today from financial-information website WalletHub shows that Mississippi taxpayers, the nation's poorest, don't get very much for what they do spend on taxes.

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New Chef at Anjou, SBA Small Business Awards and Mississippi Nutrition Program

Anjou Restaurant (361 Township Ave., Ridgeland) proprietor Anne Amelot-Holmes recently brought a familiar face into her restaurant's kitchen: her father, Christian Amelot.