News

New BCBS Policy Raises Alarm

Physicians are alarmed about a new Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi policy that could take effect as early as Feb. 1. The insurance giant proposes to end prescription coverage for medications prescribed by out-of-network doctors.

Bill of the Day: Mississippi Youth Concussion Law

During the Super Bowl this Sunday, the topic of concussions is bound to come up at some point. Contact sports have come under fire in the last few years over head injuries, but none so much as football.

‘Black Flag’: An Immersive Expansion

The impressive experience of “Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag” makes an admirable case for more nautical adventures in video games.

Gulf Drilling Saga Almost Over?

A controversy that started more than two years ago, during the waning days of Gov. Haley Barbour's final term in office, sparking a lengthy legal battle between environmentalists and state officials, could be decided before the end of the month.

Unfair Share: How Oil and Gas Drillers Avoid Paying Royalties

In 1982, in a landmark effort to keep people from being fleeced by the oil industry, the federal government passed a law establishing that royalty payments to landowners would be no less than 12.5 percent of the oil and gas sales from their leases.

Legislative Update: Heart of the City

In addressing the Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership's annual meeting last Wednesday, Bryant spoke frequently about the capital city.

Death for Sex Crimes Against Children?

Two Republican state lawmakers want to pass laws to impose the death penalty for certain crimes against children.

Council Hears Zoning Issues; Certifies Election

Jackson City Council members heard opposing views on zoning issues on Tuesday, Jan. 21, and some briefly called into question the results of Jan. 14 vote to approve a 1-percent sales tax to pay for work on the city's crumbling infrastructure.

Pam Anglin

Pam Anglin doesn't quite know how she got into the antiques business. The job just fell into her lap.

Dems Push for Fair Pay

Democrats in the state Legislature are advocating a number of bills that put equal pay for women in the forefront.

JSU Opens New Apple Store, Starbucks

Tiger Tech @ JSU, an Apple Authorized Campus Store located on the first floor of the Jackson State University Student Center, will host its grand opening Jan. 31 at 10 a.m.

Judy Meredith

James Meredith isn't the only one in his family working to change society. His wife, Judy, has been elected to the Fulbright Association's National Board of Directors and Diversity Task Force.

New Oversight for Domestic-Violence Funds?

Several lawmakers have proposed bills that would establish an interpersonal-violence commission to monitor and distribute funds to domestic-violence shelters.

Museum of the Day: Smith Robertson Museum

Recently, CNN recognized Jackson's Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center, which explores the African American experience in the south.

Community Meetings and Events

The Best of Mississippi 2014 Cook-off is Wednesday, Jan. 29, at Old Capitol Inn from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

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.

JSU: Domed Stadium Not Dead

Vivian Fuller, the athletic director for Jackson State University, says that plans for the domed venue for the college are still very much alive.

Heather McTeer Toney

Last week U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy announced that Heather McTeer Toney is President Barack Obama's selection for regional administrator for EPA's regional office in Atlanta.

Pro-Immigrant Agenda Unveiled at Capitol

During MIRA's Civic Engagement Day, attendees walked from the MIRA office on North State Street to the state capitol.

What Mississippi's Lawmakers Are Proposing for Education

Lawmakers in Mississippi have proposed more than 200 education laws for the 2014 session, in what is poised to be the second consecutive legislative session with a heavy focus on schools.

Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman Gives Democratic Response to Bryant 'State of the State'

Mississippi Democrats call for unity to fix problems: "These problems are too big for any one party or any one idea to fix. But I know that if we can put party labels aside and work together, we can create a better Mississippi."

This Can’t Be Life

Every other week, Victoria Phillips drives three and a half hours from her Raleigh home to visit her husband, who is incarcerated at Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman.

Natural Gas: The Natural Choice?

The purchase of three new squad cars for the Jackson Police Department breezed through approval last month, but some city leaders are calling for the city to take a new approach to buying vehicles.

Model for Drug-Testing Bill Controversial

Gov. Phil Bryant has mined Florida for many of his bigger ideas, and his recent the drug-testing bill is no exception.

Jackson Hospitals Expanding

The University of Mississippi Medical Center will soon have a downtown presence. The only question is how long it will take and how big of an impact it will have.

Lee King

When legendary performer James Brown called to offer Lee King a job, King hung up on him. Twice.

Rally: Schools Budget Gap an 'Injustice'

The Mississippi Adequate Education Program lays out the bare minimum that schools need to operate, but lawmakers almost never follow it.

Monroe's, Brain Drain, Amada and Community Development

On Friday, Jan. 17, Monroe Jackson, owner of Monroe's Donuts and Bakery, officially opened a new location on the ground floor of downtown's Capital Towers.

Catherine Lutz

St. Joseph Catholic Church in Gluckstabt held a funeral Monday for Major General Catherine Lutz, the first woman to command the Mississippi National Guard, who died last week at age 58.

Wives Resist Conjugal Visit Ban

Wives and family members of incarcerated men serving time in Mississippi prisons are urging state corrections officials to rethink the recent elimination of conjugal visits.

Ellington