News

City to Host 9/11 Memorial Events

Several events are scheduled today to honor the victims of 9/11 as the ten year anniversary of the terrorist attacks approaches.

Supreme Court OKs Ballot Initiatives

Read the personhood ruling

Council Adopts Budget with Raise Compromise

Jackson City Council adopted the city's $317 million budget for fiscal year 2012 today after debating how to balance the budget and provide additional raises for the city's employees.

Rehabilitating Retail Space

The Mississippi Development Authority is testing a program to beautify old strip malls and make them useful again. The Retail Center Revitalization Program will award grants of up to $50,000 to help community developers turn concrete eyesores into welcoming spaces.

JFP People of the Day: Outstanding Educators

Parents for Public Schools of Jackson and the Community Foundation of Greater Jackson honored four outstanding teachers in the Jackson Public Schools: Diane Setzer, Mary Cook, Barbara Stevens and La'Keshia Opara-Nadi. All four received a 2011 Outstanding Educator award during a luncheon yesterday at the Jackson Medical Mall.

Obama to Address Nation Tonight

President Barack Obama is expected to release details about a $300 billion jobs package during a televised speech at 6 p.m. tonight.

Family Files Wrongful Death Suit

Morris Dees is not singling out Mississippi in his organization's efforts to seek justice for an alleged hate murder of James Craig Anderson because he was black.

‘Disparity' Study Call Disrupts Session

Percy Watson knew that getting the Mississippi Legislature to fund a disparity study was a long shot, but he had hoped it would somehow make it through the Republican-majority Senate last week. The House Ways and Means Chairman's measure, however, ultimately failed, with Gov. Haley Barbour indicating that he would veto the bill if it came to his desk with the disparity study, Watson said.

Council Mulls JATRAN Cuts

Jackson's bus service could face cuts to deal with a tight budget and low ridership. JATRAN has proposed shortening some bus routes and combining others in areas with few riders.

City Urges Residents to Prepare for Pearl River Flooding

See earlier coverage of the rising Pearl River

News Wars: The Rise and Fall of The Clarion-Ledger

Orley Hood and Walter Philbin lugged their laundry bags into the laundromat near the Jitney 14 on Fortification Street. They sorted their clothes, put their coins in the slots and waited for the first wash cycle to begin. Then Philbin pulled out a stack of old Associated Press wire stories he'd been saving.

Polk Wants a Do Over

Hinds County residents who voted in Terry's Dry Grove precinct Aug. 2 may need to return to the polls to vote again for a Democratic candidate for the District 73 Mississippi House of Representatives seat.

Not for Lack of Inititative

While some voters worry about abortion, voter ID and eminent domain, others are passionate about gambling, federal meddling in health care and--that hallowed Mississippi tradition--football.

Ronnie Agnew

On Sundays, Ronnie Agnew and his eight brothers and sisters piled into his father's 1967 Buick LeSabre and headed to church. "My mom and dad were very religious," he says. They didn't let the kids watch a lot of TV, but they watched "Sesame Street" when it hit Mississippi Educational Television in 1970.

Report: Teen Births Cost State $155M

Mississippi's high teen birth rate costs taxpayers $155 million annually, a Women's Fund of Mississippi study released today finds.

State to Receive $38M from Medicaid Fraud Suit

verbatim statement:Jackson, MS--Attorney General Jim Hood has won the State more than $38 million in a Medicaid fraud suit.

Family Files Wrongful Death Suit Against Teens

Family members of the late James Anderson decided not to speak this morning as previously planned at a press conference to announce a wrongful death lawsuit they have filed against Rankin County teens for the beating and murder of Anderson because he was black.

Council Tackles Bike Trails

The City Council voted today to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 and approved the next phase of repairing Fortification Street, but did not vote on the fate of an equestrian statue of Louis XIV.

Pat Harrison

The south Mississippi rivers rising with days of heavy rain make up the Pat Harrison Waterway District, named in 1962 for a key U.S. senator.

James Anderson Family Gets Help from SPLC

Also see: Hundreds March to Heal and Denounce

Red Cross Opens Shelters

The American Red Cross has opened shelters in Jackson for families affected by flooding in the Jackson area. The Following shelters are open:

Pearl River Rising, City in State of Emergency, Shelters Open in Metro

See Weather Service and MEMA warnings about metro here as they come in.

Mayor Declares a State of Emergency, Watching Pearl River

This morning Mayor Harvey Johnson, Jr. declared a State of Emergency for the city of Jackson as a precautionary measure in light of the recent storm. There have been some reports of flash flooding and several downed trees. City crews are working to clear any streets and we have been in contact with Entergy about downed power lines. We anticipate the bulk of the rain to moving out of the area this afternoon. However, the City urges residents to continue to be cautious and to be on the lookout of any flooded streets or low lying areas.

Minority Jobs, MDA at Center of Special Session Debate

Several black representatives have expressed concerns today that a proposed funding bill to bring 1,800 jobs in the state will overlook minorities. In a special session Gov. Haley Barbour called for today, the Mississippi Legislature will vote on $175 million in bonds and incentives for two technology plants to open in Mississippi and a tax-rebate program for Pascagoula-based Huntington Ingalls shipyard to create an additional 3,000 jobs.

Sargent Plans for Future of JPS

Interim Superintendent Jayne Sargent will only be at Jackson Public Schools for six months to a year, but she is working on technology and curriculum changes that will help the school system in the future.

Abigail Phillips

Abigail Phillips, 22, recently came to Jackson to make a difference. As a service member of Food Corps, a national non-profit organization, she builds and tends school gardens, helping children learn about whole foods and balanced diets.

Stop That Laboring

Start the long Labor Day weekend off tonight unwinding with friends. Head to Dreamz JXN for Can't Feel My Face Friday, The Irish Frog in Clinton to hear Davey Arwine and Nick Blake or Ole Tavern for the Thomas Jackson Orchestra. To find your new favorite watering hole, check out the JFP Music Listings page for the best in Jacktown and surrounds, from MCs to rock to jazz to gospel, every day of the week.

Ellington