News

Subscribe

Tease photo

Rally Part of National Effort

People around the nation are watching Mississippi to see how its politicians and voting public treat reproductive issues, protesters said at the Capitol Saturday.

Tease photo

Sister Dorothea Sondgeroth

In January, Sister Dorothea Sondgeroth stepped down as president of St. Dominic's Health Services, a post she held for 17 years. For her service there and throughout Jackson, Pope Benedict XVI awarded Sondgeroth with the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross last week.

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, donate art, money and gifts at [e-mail missing]. $5; call 601-362-6121, ext. 16.

Kemper Plant Again Gets Approval

Plans for a multi-billion dollar coal-fired power plant are back on. This week, the Public Service Commission, which oversees electric utility companies in the state, voted 2-1 along party lines, to re-approve Mississippi Power Co.'s plant now under construction in Kemper County.

Tease photo

Malcolm White

Mississippi Arts Commission Executive Director Malcolm White said today that it is key for citizens to help educate legislators on the importance of the arts in our communities by inviting congressmen, city council members and other officials to arts events.

It's the Weekend!

Today, Amazin' Lazy Boi performs during Live at Lunch at 11:30 a.m. at the Mississippi Museum of Art's Art Garden (380 S. Lamar St.). Bring or buy lunch; call 601-960-1515. Jackson Bike Advocates' monthly Community Bike Ride is at 6 p.m. and begins at Rainbow Whole Foods (2807 Old Canton Road). Find Jackson Bike Advocates on Facebook. The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life is at 6 p.m. at Millsaps College (1701 N. State St.). Registration fees vary; call 769-237-6011; visit http://www.relayforlife.org for more locations. The Lynch Street Cultural Arts Festival kicks off with a banquet at 7 p.m. at Masonic Lodge (1072 John R. Lynch St.), and the outdoor festival is April 28 between Rose and Dalton streets at noon. Tickets are $50, $500 for a table of 10 for banquet; free outdoor activities; call 601-352-6993. Marlowe and the Sea performs at 7 p.m. at Cups in Fondren. The play "Animal Farm" is at 7:30 p.m. at Actor's Playhouse (121 Paul Truitt Lane, Pearl) and runs through May 6. Tickets are $15, $10 seniors and students; call 601-664-0930. The Colonels play at Ole Tavern. 2Xtreme performs at F. Jones Corner. Need more options? See our Best Bets.

Tease photo

Mayor Wants City More Involved with JRA

Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. wants the city to be more involved in the early planning stages of development projects that go before the Jackson Redevelopment Authority seeking public funding.

Casey Therriault

Thursday night in primetime, the NFL Draft kicks off with the first round. Over the next three days, college stars will wait by the phone hoping it rings, making their dreams of becoming an NFL player come true.

Under Pressure: Fighting to Keep ‘Choice' In State

Shelley Abrams is fighting the state of Virginia's attack on abortion rights. She oversees several clinics that provide legal abortion services, including one in Virginia and several other southern states. Abrams is also executive director of Jackson Women's Health Organization, the only abortion facility in the state.

Progress, At a Snail's Pace

City government is rarely accused of acting quickly. The Jackson City Council is working hard to assure that remains true.

Tease photo

SWAG: Students with a Goal

Concern about apathy among their peers led several Northwest Rankin H.S. students to start Students With A Goal, or SWAG, to support each other as they serve the community.

Search for Child Stars

A massive group of children caught Elaina Jackson's attention at a hotel in Houston, Texas, last year. Jackson is the director of development and marketing at the Mississippi Children's Museum, and she and her coworkers were attending a museum conference.

JPS Under Fire for Special-Ed Violations

The Jackson Public Schools district may lose its accreditation due to how it has disciplined students with disabilities, tracking them into lower-quality education at alternative schools rather than helping them stay in their schools and improve.

At Capitol, Jackson a Winner and Loser

You know that old expression about the calm before the storm? Such has been the mood at the state Capitol for the past couple weeks. The relatively tranquil period follows a tumultuous period of fiery debates on abortion and immigration and hallway shoving matches over charter schools and workers' compensation. Expect the tide to turn when lawmakers hunker down to clear the calendar of thorny political issues before sine die (adjournment) the first week of May.

Jordan Hunter

Nathan Hunter III always wanted his son to be a Morehouse man. This fall, he will see that dream come true when his oldest child, Jordan Hunter, attends the nation's only all-male historically black college.

Tease photo

JPD Completes Redistricting

The Jackson Police Department has finished redistricting Precinct 4, which covers the area from Fortification Street to County Line Road and the West Street railroad tracks to the Pearl River.

Tease photo

Biz Roundup: Go Green

Fondren will see the benefits of a $2-million grant to make the area friendlier for bicyclists and pedestrians, as well as for landscape reforms. The city of Jackson recently received a transportation enhancement grant through the Mississippi Department of Transportation, and held a public meeting to ask Fondren residents and business owners how it should spend the money.

Herb Frierson

Herb Frierson doesn't draw large crowds. For example, the audience Frierson addressed at the John C. Stennis Institute's press luncheon yesterday was only about half its normal size. In introducing Frierson, Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reporter Bobby Harrison recounted bumping into Frierson alone in downtown Jackson without a gaggle of lobbyists trailing behind.

New Redistricting Map on the Way

New legislative district maps are coming, which means some Democratic lawmakers could be on their way out.

Farm-to-Fork Project Launched

A new program kicks off today in Jackson to get healthy, affordable produce to families in Mississippi.

Tease photo

Olivia Perez-Breland

Thousands of military spouses across the country have felt the stab of multiple deployments that take their loved ones away. One soldier's wife found a way to express her pain while giving back to other military families.

Community Events and Public Meetings

6 p.m., Jackson Police Department Precinct 4 Restructuring Ceremony, at Fondren Hall (Northwood Shopping Center, 4436 N. State St.). Presenters include Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. and Precinct 4 Commander Wendell Watts. Call 601-960-0004.

Freedom Riders Tell Students: ‘Take the Lead'

Delores Williams remembers going to school as a child, seeing white children ride by in a bus while she and the other black students walked, carrying their books. She also remembers having to step off the sidewalk when a white person passed.

Monica Cannon

When Monica Cannon sees things in schools that could be better, she doesn't sit around and complain. Instead, she brainstorms solutions, speaks up and gets people to work together to make changes.

It's the Weekend!

Today, Arts on the Square kicks off at 4 p.m. at Historic Canton Square; the event runs through April 21. Free admission; call 601-859-5816. Lawyerpalooza is at 5 p.m. at Hal & Mal's and benefits the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project and the Mississippi Center for Justice. Admission is $5; call 601-969-9692, 769-257-5380 or 601-957-2600. ZooBrew is at 6 p.m. at the Jackson Zoo (2918 W. Capitol St.). The event is for ages 21 and up. Tickets are $25 and $20 for members, $10 shuttle from Fondren and Highland Village; call 601-352-2580. The Amnesty International DREAM Act Concert is at 6:30 p.m. at Sneaky Beans. Admission is $5; call 601-974-1338. Need more options? See our Best Bets.

Tease photo

City Council Approves Fortification Project

The City Council approved a contract with Hemphill Construction Tuesday night for an $8.9 million Fortification Street makeover. The contract now goes to the Mississippi Department of Transportation for approval.

Tease photo

LaSondra Barrett

LaSondra Barrett, born in Flowood in 1990, is one of the best women's basketball players from Mississippi.

Anti-Abortion ‘TRAP' Law Part of Nationwide Trend

The governor signed the first major piece of anti-abortion legislation into law this year—a measure designed to close the state's only abortion clinic.

State No. 1 for Teen Pregnancy

The deadline for Mississippi's school districts to select a sex-education policy is this summer, and several groups are hoping to influence what Jackson Public Schools students learn next year.

No More Regs, Except ...

During his 2011 campaign for governor, Phil Bryant promised that, if elected, his administration would closely scrutinize state regulations on small companies.

Blogs

Video