News

Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven, the classical composer, is deeply engrained into our culture. His famous "Fifth Symphony" is so recognizable that it ranks up there with "Happy Birthday to You" in music almost everyone knows.

JPS Progress Report Good, Still Low Marks for MAEP Funding

Despite legislative budget writers shortchanging them, along with every other school district in the state, Jackson Public Schools are showing improvement in several areas.

Elise Varner Winter

Volunteer Mississippi, in coordination with the Office of the Governor and First Lady Deborah Bryant, recognized former First Lady Elise Varner Winter for her outstanding volunteer service efforts at the 2015 Governor's Initiative for Volunteer Excellence Awards.

Upon Further Review: Inside the Police Failure to Stop Darren Sharper's Rape Spree

Darren Sharper's rampage of druggings and rapes could have been prevented, according to a two-month investigation by ProPublica and The New Orleans Advocate based on police records in five states, hundreds of pages of court documents and dozens of interviews across the country.

A Special Session for Police Body Cameras?

In recent years, special sessions of the Legislature have been used to cut deals on pet projects of the governor—typically some form of corporate tax giveaway to lure a potential employer.

David Rae Morris

In the time I've known him, David Rae Morris has turned himself into an accomplished filmmaker who makes places and people in our state come alive in a way I know his father would have cherished.

Fitness from the Page

Jackson-based public health practitioner and advocate Getty Israel might be a newcomer to long-form writing, but in many ways, her first book has been in the works since she was just a girl.

James Alexander Warren

A few names come up whenever Jacksonians discuss local filmmakers, but few are as common as James Alexander Warren.

Tom Beck

Tom Beck has a passion for storytelling. It's one of the factors that drives his work at Spot On Productions, LLC, which he founded with business partner Philip Scarborough in 2011.

MDOC, Private Prisons on Trial

Located in Leake County, Walnut Grove opened in 2001 for children convicted as adults in criminal court, and has been the subject of nearly ongoing scrutiny for civil-rights violations.

Legal Pot Initiative Gets a Spark

Despite the hard work of dozens of Mississippi volunteers and shifting national tide toward loosening restrictions on marijuana, a state ballot initiative to legalize cannabis is just hobbling along.

Yarber Wants Another Emergency Declaration

After asking the Jackson City Council to hold off on approving his civil-emergency declaration earlier, Yarber said Tuesday evening that he wants a second emergency proclamation.

Big Tests for New JRA Members, Google Lawsuit Blocked, Boosting Youth-Owned Biz

Six months after Mayor Tony Yarber first introduced a slate of nominees for the Jackson Redevelopment Authority, the Jackson City Council approved four new JRA members at a special council meeting Monday.

Alex Melnick

Alex Melnick and other members of art advocacy organization Ko'ox Boon, which is Mayan for "Let's paint," will present the documentary film "The Barefoot Artist" tonight, April 7, at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St., 601-974-1000).

County Might Not Pay for Private Lawyers in Weill, Public Defender Dispute

The Hinds County Board of Supervisors may refuse to pay private attorneys a county judge appointed because of a spat with the public defender's office.

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.

Dr. Jim Borsig

Over the past several days, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and Dr. Dan Jones made a good faith effort regarding Dr. Jones' continued service as Chancellor of the University of Mississippi.

How One Mom Beat the Legislature on Schools Funding

A Mississippi mother of two took on the state Legislature Thursday in a battle over school funding. She won.

John Rocker

It was John Rocker's mouth, not his arm, that was most memorable about his time with the Atlanta Braves. His quotes to Sports Illustrated in December 1999 caused a backlash and a public-relations nightmare.

4 Men Escape Downtown Jail, Search Ongoing

This morning's escape of four men from the downtown Jackson Detention Center came just days after members of the Jackson City Council discussed the city building its own jail.

Troubled Water, Part II: The Origins of Jackson's $91 Million Siemens Contract

Nearly two months have passed since City of Jackson Department of Public Works Director Kishia Powell brought the water-meter installation project, the centerpiece of the City's $91 million contract with Siemens, to a grinding halt over concerns about quality control.

Lost Grocery, Lost Opportunity

Sociologists and the community activists who rallied to keep the Terry Road Kroger open have a phrase for the phenomenon that could befall the neighborhood that formerly housed the Kroger: food deserts.

Emergency Declaration: Necessary or Nah?

Liz Sharlot, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Department of Health, said Mississippi cities do not necessarily need to sign an emergency declaration to apply for one of the low-interest MSDH loans. Rather, the city must work with an engineer to develop a plan before applying.

Mississippi’s Money Dance

Mississippi lawmakers voted Monday to borrow $450 million for a range of needs. As usual, there's very little for the city of Jackson's legislative agenda, which included funding for public-safety, payment-in-lieu of taxes for state buildings and other requests.

Obamacare: Five Years and Counting

With Bryant's vow to undermine the ACA, the feds concluded that a state-run exchange was untenable. In January 2013, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius turned down Mississippi's application to run its own exchange, the only state she denied.

Ellington