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Community Events and Public Meetings

Eighth Annual JFP Chick Ball July 28, 6 p.m., at Hal & Mal's (200 S. Commerce St.). The fundraising event benefits the Center for Violence Prevention, and this year's goal is to start a rape crisis center. For ages 18 and up. Seeking sponsors, auction donations and volunteers now. More details: jfpchickball.com and follow on Twitter @jfpchickball. Get involved, volunteer, and donate art, money and gifts at [e-mail missing]. $5 cover; call 601-362-6121, ext. 16.

Melton Bodyguard is Sheriff's Internal Affairs Chief

The person in charge of rooting out corruption inside the Hinds County Sheriff's Department is Marcus Wright, a former Jackson police officer and bodyguard to late Jackson Mayor Frank Melton.

Stadium of the Day: Smith-Wills Stadium

Baseball and fast-pitch softball fans should be excited this weekend. The high school baseball and fast-pitch softball state championships will be on the line this week.

It's the Weekend!

Research shows that low-income youth suffer significantly from a loss of academic skills over the summertime, resulting in losses that contribute to an achievement gap that can make the difference between whether students set out on a path for college or decide to drop out of high school. Saturday, May 19 at 12 p.m., Operation Shoestring and community partners are working against this trend by providing parents and students with fun activities to promote summer reading at the Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.), supplying the materials to continue these activities at home throughout the summer, and helping parents and students navigate the JPS Summer Reading Manual. There will be snacks, library card registration, story-telling time, and more. This event is open to the public. For more information, contact Robin Walker at 601-353-6336.

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Bryant Signs Voter ID Bill

Despite Gov. Phil Bryant signing the voter-identification bill recently passed in the Legislature, the measure isn't law just yet. The federal government still has to OK the controversial measure before it can take effect.

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Pro Hoops Comes to Jackson

This November, Jackson's new semi-pro basketball team will take the court as a member of the American Basketball Association.

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Rep. Andy Gipson

Here's why permitting gay marriage is "horrific social policy," according to Republican Rep. Andy Gipson of Braxton:

Three Days in June

One spring afternoon in 2001, Jan Michael Brawner slipped into the home of his ex-in-laws, Jane and Carl Craft, in rural Tate County, and stole a .22-caliber rifle.

Mayor Refutes Business Challenges

In announcing their candidacies for mayor of Jackson, Ward 2 Councilman Chokwe Lumumba and Ward 4 Councilman Frank Bluntson made changing the city's business practices front and center in their campaigns.

Ah, the Cloud

You're probably getting good and tired of hearing about "the cloud"—and no one could blame you. The problem is, it's not going away.

City Moves Forward with Redistricting Contract

After a polarized discussion about the city's ward-redistricting hire, Jackson City Council Rules Committee Chairman Quentin Whitwell decided Thursday to move forward with the Council's December decision to hire D.L. Johnson Consultants LLC.

Cooper-Stokes Walks Out

Councilwoman LaRita Cooper-Stokes of Ward 3 opposed the talk about possibly rescinding D.L. Johnson Consultants' redistricting contract with the city from the start of a Rules Committee meeting Thursday. When Whitwell called another consultant to the podium to speak, Cooper-Stokes walked out of the meeting.

Wilkinson Redistricting Behind, Too

Supervisors in Wilkinson County hired D.L. Johnson Consultants in January 2011 to head the county's redistricting. To date, Johnson has not turned in any proposals to the U.S. Department of Justice for the county.

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Charter Schools Rock?

Long a political lightning rod, are charter schools the key to solving the state's education woes?

Sara Del Castillo

"I really feel that if we can all get organized, this can be a safe space for immigrants in Mississippi," says Sara Del Castillo. She hopes Mississippi will become a haven for immigrants and that education will be attainable for everyone, including undocumented immigrants.

One Lake Set to ‘Run Pretty Rapid'

The ongoing saga for a lake to control flooding in Jackson and provide economic-development opportunities on the Pearl River will reach a milestone this week.

Biz Roundup: Doing Good

Mary Amelia McRee had been renovating houses in the Belhaven area for several years when a house in Fondren, which had been for sale for a while, caught her eye. Instead of just buying the house and flipping it, she decided to keep it and turn it into a place that would benefit animals in the Jackson area.

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Daniel McMullen

"The men and women of law enforcement--federal, state and local--are bound together by our common vocation, but it is more than just a job. It is more than just a career. It is more than just a profession. It is a personal mission. It is a mission that requires deep commitment. Indeed, commitment to duty and honor is at the very heart of what it means to be a member of the law enforcement community."

Family Remembers a Fallen Hero

Benjamin Brown was a 22-year-old activist in 1967 when law enforcement officers shot him once in the back and again in the back of the head during a civil-rights demonstration near the campus of Jackson State.

Three Could Face June Execution

Mississippi death-penalty opponents expect that three men will lose key appeals today, and expect each to receive a June execution date.

Bev Perdue

Mississippians are crying foul after North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue, a Democrat, compared her state, which voted to ban same-sex marriage last week, to Mississippi.

Community Events and Public Meetings

Eighth Annual JFP Chick Ball July 28, 6 p.m., at Hal & Mal's (200 S. Commerce St.). The fundraising event benefits the Center for Violence Prevention, and this year's goal is to start a rape crisis center. For ages 18 and up. Seeking sponsors, auction donations and volunteers now. More details: jfpchickball.com and follow on Twitter @jfpchickball. Get involved, volunteer, and donate art, money and gifts at [e-mail missing]. $5 cover; call 601-362-6121, ext. 16.

Farish in 2012?

Jacksonians have heard plans, proposals and promises about a reborn Farish Street for the better part of two decades. Less than four years after purchasing the project from Performa, Watkins Development LLC may deliver four pieces of the puzzle in 2012.

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Leniece T. Davis

If black political and civic engagement was a hospital patient, doctors might say it was in critical but stable condition.

It's the Weekend!

Today, the Four Seasons of the Cedars Spring Art Show at The Cedars Historic Home (4145 Old Canton Road) closes. The event is free; call 601-366-5552. The Mississippi Mama Show featuring artwork kicks off at 5 p.m. at Brent's Diner and Soda Fountain (655 Duling Ave.); it continues May 12. The event is free and artwork is for sale; call 601-954-2147. The Mississippi Symphony Orchestra's Pepsi Pops is at 5:30 p.m. at Old Trace Park (Post Road, Ridgeland). Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the gate, $5 for children 4-18 and free for children under 4; call 601-960-1565. Relay for Life is at 6 p.m. at Historic Canton Square. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society. Registration fees vary; call 662-549-3729. Ahmad Rashad, Saddi Sundiata and others perform during Back to Basics at 9 p.m. at Suite 106. Need more options? See our Best Bets.

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Mississippi Eyed for Voter Drive

An NAACP voter-registration campaign launched yesterday will target minorities, students and senior citizens in a dozen swing and southern states where voter identification laws have passed, including Mississippi.

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Students Learn Fiscal Literacy

Students at Forest Hill High School got a leg up on some of their peers for a skill that seems to grow more important every day--understanding financial stability and how to achieve it.

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Students Learn Financial Literacy

Students at Forest Hill High School got a leg up on some of their peers for a skill that seems to grow more important every day--understanding financial stability and how to achieve it.

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Players of the Day: Best College Baseball Player Finalists

The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is honoring Mississippi's best college baseball player Monday, May 15 with a luncheon. Three finalists will be at the luncheon, but only one will walk away with the C Spire Wireless sponsored Ferriss Trophy, named after legendary player and coach Boo Ferriss. The long-time Delta State coach played college baseball at Mississippi State before playing professionally with the Boston Red Sox.

2012 Legislative Session Ends

The mood in the Mississippi House chamber after Rep. Mark Formby made the motion to adjourn sine die was similar to the last day of school before summer vacation.

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