News

It's the Weekend!

This week you'll be in for a fun and frightful Halloween weekend with spooky events taking place all over Jackson and surrounding areas. The "A Time for Sharing" exhibit at the Mississippi Library Commission (3881 Eastwood Drive) ends today. The event is free; call 601-432-4056. Tonight, the Delta Mountain Boys play at the High Note Jam at 5:30 p.m. at the Mississippi Museum of Art's Art Garden (380 S. Lamar St.). Admission is free, and there will be food for sale; call 601-960-1515. Vine-yl Night is at 5:30 p.m. at North Midtown Arts Center. Admission is free; call 601-376-9404. Also, Dreamz JXN hosts the Halloween Costume Ball featuring DJ Jonasty. Finally, Jazz Night Live is at 7 p.m. at circa. Urban Artisan Living (2771 Old Canton Road). Normal admission is $12, and $16 for reserved seating; call 601-362-8484. Need more options? See our Best Bets

Medical Professionals Speak Out Against Initiative 26

More than 20 medical professionals held a press conference at the state Capitol yesterday to speak out against a ballot initiative that would redefine the word "person" or "persons" in the state Constitution to "include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof."

JRA Mulls Tax District for Old Capitol Green

The Jackson Redevelopment Authority is considering establishing a special tax district to helping finance a $27-million parking garage and adjoining commercial space in the Old Capitol Green development.

Eminent Domain a Job Killer?

Limiting eminent domain to public projects only is a "job killer," Bishop Ronnie Crudup, senior pastor of New Horizon Church International, said yesterday.

Kate Medley

A photojournalist who worked on some of the most important civil-rights stories the Jackson Free Press published opens a new exhibit tonight in Oxford. Kate Medley exhibits her work in the show "Roadside Fare," hanging at the University of Mississippi now through Jan. 16.

[Column] Invest in the 7 Billion as Human Capital

On Oct. 31, the world's population is projected to reach 7 billion.

Farish: Must ‘Make a Profit'

Jackson developer David Watkins seemed to quell concerns when he presented a list of tenants for the long-awaited $100 million Farish Street Entertainment District project during a public presentation last week. The developer still needs approximately $13 million to complete construction, however, for businesses to actually open.

Convention Hotel: Linchpin or Boondoggle?

A convention center and accompanying hotel may seem like a foolproof economic tool for many cities trying to boost tax revenue by bringing visitors to their downtown area. The idea is that if you build it, tourists will simply come to the city eager to spend their disposable income.

Undocumented v. Illegal

The Society of Professional Journalists is urging reporters and editors to stop using the phrases "illegal immigrant" and "illegal alien." At its annual convention in New Orleans last month, SPJ delegates passed a resolution to ask journalists to apply the organization's code of ethics when writing about undocumented workers.

DuPree Campaigns Against the Tide

A decade ago, Johnny DuPree, while running for re-election to the Forrest County Board of Supervisors, answered a phone call from then-Lt. Gov. Ronnie Musgrove asking for help with his campaign for governor.

Moran Pledges Smart Development

Connie Moran was six weeks into her first public-office position as the mayor of Ocean Springs when her world turned upside down. Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed her coastal town, displacing residents and razing homes. Leading residents through the disaster and using it as an opportunity to reinvent her town are just a few of the experiences Moran, a Democrat, likes to talk about when she lists her qualifications to hold the office of state treasurer.

Census Snapshot: Multiracial Nation

The 2010 Census found that more Americans are identifying as multi-racial than ever before. More than twice as many people reported their race as both black and white in 2010 than did in 2000.

Cesar Vazquez

Growing up in Guadalajara, Mexico, Cesar Vazquez never thought he'd be working in the United States. The 25-year-old traveled a lot as a child, living for short amounts of time in Esfahan, Iran and Frankfurt, Germany. Vazquez has always liked to travel and experience different cultures, and that interest brought him to Mississippi two years ago.

JPS Hosts Event for Parents of Disabled Students

The Jackson Public Schools District hosts a night out for parents of students with disabilities tonight.

Moran Tackles PERS, Eminent Domain

Connie Moran, Democratic candidate for treasurer, promised to keep the Public Employees Retirement System intact if she is elected.

Baptist Ranked in Top 100 Hospitals

HealthGrades, an independent reviewer of physician information and hospital quality outcomes, named Mississippi Baptist Medical Center among the best 100 hospitals in the nation for orthopedic surgery, joint replacement, general surgery and prostatectomy.

Sandra Beasley

Birthdays, holidays and school functions were a bit of a challenge for Sandra Beasley, whose food allergies transformed her childhood into a series of near-death experiences.

Tougaloo Building Nabs Design Awards

The American Institute of Architects Mississippi and the Brick Industry Southeast Region will present awards to Tougaloo College for the design of the school's recently completed Bennie G. Thompson Academic and Civil Rights Research Center. The presentation is at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 in the building's lecture hall.

Barksdale Pledges Funds for Superintendent

Jim Barksdale, former president and CEO of Netscape and a Jackson native, has offered funds to help Jackson Public Schools find and hire a new superintendent.

Just How Much Can the State Restrict a Peaceful Protest?

As protests supporting Occupy Wall Street have swelled in recent weeks, hundreds of demonstrators have been arrested across the U.S. This weekend, nearly 100 people were arrested in New York [1] and 175 in Chicago [2]. More than 100 protesters [3] were arrested in Boston last week; a few weeks ago, 700 were arrested [4] on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Dr. Steve Blakemore

Wesley Chapel Pastor Dr. Steve Blakemore is planning a festival that he hopes will bring together a North Jackson neighborhood.

Community Events and Public Meetings

6 p.m., Power of Pink Balloon Release, at Highland Village (4500 Interstate 55 N.). The event is in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Pick up balloons from A Daisy a Day from noon-5 p.m. for the ceremony. Free; call 601-948-6262 or 800-948-6262.

Tornado Awareness Week

<i>Verbatim from Mississippi Emergency Management Agency</i>

Gov. Haley Barbour has proclaimed the week of Oct. 24-28 as Tornado Awareness Week in Mississippi.

Conference Addresses State Revenue Solutions

Closing corporate tax loopholes, changing income-tax structures and increasing human capital are a few recommendations policy leaders made this morning to improve Mississippi's economic future.

Jim Rosenblatt

Downtown Jackson is an ideal place for a law school, Jim Rosenblatt told attendees at Friday Forum at Koinonia Coffee House this morning. The capital city provides aspiring lawyers with opportunities to test their skills and help low-income families at the same time.

Farish Street Seeks Investors

After more than two decades of planning, the Farish Street Entertainment District is close to fruition, but developers still need $13 million to complete the interiors of the historical buildings in the district's first block.

Absentee Ballots Cause Ruckus

Some Mississippi voters received incomplete absentee ballot packets in the mail. An error in preparing the packets left out information about the fiscal impact of the three initiatives on the ballot.

Rims Barber

An early birthday party Friday night for Rims Barber, who turns 75 in November, will also recognize his civil-rights activism and how he and his wife Judy "speak truth to power." Tonight, however, he is speaking at Jackson State University about poverty. He intends to motivate some students into action.

Council Votes to Rename Airport

The Jackson-Evers International Airport will now be called the Jackson Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport after Jackson City Council members voted to rename the airport this week.

Why They Kill

Despite popular belief, violent criminals aren't born with a moral screw loose. They're not even turned into criminals because they grow up in single-parent homes (although having two good parents certainly helps kids) or from living in a crime-ridden neighborhood (although it contributes).

Ellington