News

JPD Chief: New Cops Will Help Curb OT

In a packed and muggy auditorium and under the watchful eye of instructors who continued barking orders throughout the ceremony, 33 new recruits joined the Jackson Police Department this morning.

The Jobs Act: Help or Not?

It's no wonder that economics is called the "dismal science." Regardless of what motivated Thomas Carlyle to coin the term (some say it was a prediction that the world's resources could never keep up with population, while others say it was a negative reaction to ending slavery), no one can call economics an exact science.

Where The Jobs Are ... and Aren't

Where are the jobs? Everybody should move to North Dakota, where there are more jobs than people and more people than housing. But you don't have to go so far as Fargo to find work. While Mississippi has more folks out of work than a lot of other places, growth is happening here, too.

The Side Hustle

Thomas Davis is passionate about beef jerky. An aficionado of jerky himself, he invested in his own business. But this isn't your average filling station dried meat. "It is great beef jerky. It's tender, tasty, and it's good for you," said Davis, who pays about $12 a week for his own online portal through which he can sell jerky and about seven ounces of the product.

Good Schools=Good Jobs

For a healthy economy that can compete on a national and international level, job training begins early—very early. Children are preparing to find jobs later in life even as they learn to stack blocks, count toys and read picture books.

A Great Ride

After nine years with one company, I got a pink slip. It was inevitable. The company had been sold several times, and with each takeover, my department's budget and staff shrank. Nonetheless, when the day arrived, it was a blow. With more than 25 years of experience in marketing and related fields, I knew finding a job to replace the one I lost would be difficult.

Searching, Searching

In November, 5.7 million people in America had been unemployed for at least 27 weeks, or about six months—the official, federal definition of long-term unemployment. The long-term unemployed accounted for 43 percent of all the people who were unemployed.

The Big 50: Tips for Work Success

Work is never easy, whether to find it or to keep it. You can't even get by with a simple resume any more, as you must have newer (and more in demand) skills that are necessary for employers to look your way. But if you follow these tips, not only will your success rate increase, but you will be able to network with people and organizations.

Diversity at Work: It Matters

In a piece called "Racism And Meritocracy" on techcrunch.com, Eric Ries talks about research on musical orchestras in which musicians auditioned behind a screen. No surprise, sadly: The screen yielded a more diverse orchestra with skill the only factor; without the screen, the orchestras were whiter.

Finding Time

Humans are funny creatures when it comes to dealing with time. Most of us always want more of it while wasting much of what we have. Or we spend valuable time worrying about what we don't have time to do. It's silly, really. And frustrating.

Defining Sexual Harassment

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits harassing someone because of their sex, which includes making unwanted sexual advances, threatening to demote someone if they don't give sexual favors or making offensive comments about someone's sex.

Creative Work Options

Deirdre M. Danahar of Jackson-based InMotion Consulting and Coaching has operated her company from home successfully for eight years. She offers these tips for being productive while working from home.

Help Employees Shine

"High tech requires high touch." — John Naisbitt

Manage, Motivate, Inspire

Inspiring your fellow co-worker (whether boss or underling) shouldn't be a one-way affair. Each should motivate the other to accomplish more and to perform better. However now and again work becomes stale and boring, and focus can become lost. So here are some tips that can help to bring everyone back together.

Intern Your Way to The Top

Ask a professional with a great job if he or she ever interned. Chances are the answer will be yes. Internships (and externships, which often refer to shorter intern periods) are an invaluable way to bridge the experience gap between school and a job.

Preparing for Success

Though most women may have the desire to be successful, some need a hand—and a suit. Dress for Success prepares disadvantaged women to enter or re-enter the work force. The international non-profit organization provides women with clothing, training and helps them maintain a positive attitude.

Local Fights Back

Stacy Mitchell, a senior researcher with The New Rules Project, an initiative of the Minneapolis-based Institute for Local Self-Reliance, examined how local businesses have fared compared to their national competitors in recent years.

Elephant in the Hotel Room

The Rev. Ronnie Crudup ended the Dec. 16 Jackson Redevelopment Authority's special meeting on a positive note. "We believe we are going to get a convention center hotel very shortly," he said, soon after the JRA board voted to decline all existing proposals on the table.

Good Ideas Work

Work. We need it; we love it; we hate it; we dread it. Whatever the case, it dominates our lives by necessity. This GOOD Ideas issue is dedicated to the belief that work should make you happy, content, inspired and, with any luck, prosperous. At least eventually. Whether you've been in the same job for 10 years or you're just (re)entering the job or internship market, you'll find ideas here on how to make your life, well, more workable.

Online Tax Debate Looming

Sidewalks, busy sidewalks. In the air, there's a feeling that the economy might finally be picking up momentum if trends during the holiday shopping season are any indication.

Supremes Question Kemper

In all the pages of court records regarding a dispute between environmentalists and an electric utility company--pages that one Mississippi Supreme Court justice characterized as the most voluminous he has seen in his eight years on the court--one important piece of information eluded the justices.

Tatiana McDonald

Tatiana McDonald had modest beginnings when she arrived in the United States from Bogota, Colombia, eight years ago. "Before I entered the nonprofit world, I was always trying to make a living cleaning or babysitting, like most of us do when we come to the United States," McDonald says. "My first job in the nonprofit (as a legal assistant) was what made me want to do more. I was always trying to know more and more about the struggle immigrants face once they get here."

Barbour Budget: Slash Education, MPB, Combine HBCUs

Gov. Haley Barbour called for a 2.9 percent average funding reduction to various state agencies today including education and Mississippi Public Broadcasting. He also called for state universities, including HBCUs, and public school districts to be consolidated.

AT&T Admits Defeat, Newk's Expands

AT&T has agreed to end its bid to acquire T-Mobile after complaints that the merger would take AT&T from one of the largest wireless providers in the nation to a powerhouse that controlled 40 percent of the national market.

Ineva May-Pittman

One of Ineva May-Pittman's greatest current concerns is the process the Jackson school board uses to select a new superintendent. She feels the people who should be making the decision are left out of the process.

Barbour Touts Skills Training

Gov. Haley Barbour is singing the praises of skills training programs at community colleges and high schools while warning of future budget cuts to education. Barbour spoke during his conference on work-force development Dec. 8. The conference was the second in a series of "Keep Mississippi Moving" speeches that Barbour is giving during his last full month as governor.

Old Capitol Green Could Get $13 Million

The long-delayed Old Capitol Green downtown development project drew a little closer to fruition this morning.

Domestic Violence: Public Health Issue

Twenty-four American women and men will become victims of intimate-partner violence in the minute or so it will take you to read this story.

Elise Winter

Habitat for Humanity Metro Jackson dedicates its 500th house tomorrow at an event honoring Elise Varner Winter. The nonprofit group built the house in honor of Winter, a founding member of the organization's board of directors. She is also a lifetime member of the board.

Community Events and Public Meetings

6 p.m., Anime and Manga Night, at Pearl Public Library (2416 Old Brandon Road, Pearl). Share your love of the Japanese art forms with other teens. Free; call 601-932-2562.

Ellington