News

Linda Liddell

Linda Liddell has become one of the community's leading activists. The west Jackson resident, 51, coordinates barbers who give free haircuts to local elementary students. The only requirement for the children to participate is a signed permission slip from their parent. Liddell initially started the group for west Jackson students.

McGowan Funding Initial One-Lake Study

The Pearl River Vision Foundation is paying for the initial study of a one-lake flood-control development along the Pearl River, the group's founder John McGowan said today. "We're going to fund it up until the point it becomes a Corps project," McGowan said after the monthly, Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District, or Levee Board, meeting at Flowood City Hall. "Me, mainly, with maybe some funding from other private entities," McGowan said.

Hinds Officials Point Fingers

After five days of tension and confusion over the results of Hinds County Elections, the Hinds County Democratic Executive Committee expects to return to the county courthouse tomorrow and certify Tyrone Lewis as the official winner of the sheriff's race.

Joseph Muller

Joseph Muller got a great opportunity after he graduated from Millsaps College in May. He got a job as an editorial assistant in acquisitions at University Press of Mississippi. Now he has to give up that great opportunity that English majors dream about for another one--a Fulbright Award.

Community Events

Sports League Registrations, at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.). The Department of Parks and Recreation is conducting registration for the upcoming season from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays. Call 601-960-0471.

Lewis Poised to Win Sheriff's Race

Hinds County election officials unexpectedly returned to the Hinds County Courthouse on Sunday afternoon to finalize votes.

Hinds County Officials Spar, Returning to Courthouse Sunday

After more than two days of resolving conflicts over the Tuesday's elections, election officials and campaign supporters will head back to the Hinds County Courthouse at 9 a.m. Saturday to continue counting ballots and resolving voting issues.

[Breaking News] Mass Confusion at Hinds County Courthouse

News editor Lacey McLaughlin reports mass confusion at the Hinds County Courthouse as officials disagree on how to count absentee ballots.

SPLC Attacks State's School-to-Jail Pipeline

Jody Owens shared this morning an upsetting example of what's wrong with juvenile justice in Mississippi. A child suffering from depression, he said, cried out while in custody at Henley-Young Juvenile Justice Center. "Shut the hell up," the guard told him. The child later cut his wrists.

Pups Promote Self-Esteem

Looking at the squat brick building on Bailey Avenue, with its barred windows and dreary outside decor, one wouldn't imagine that it houses one of the most spectacular organizations in Jackson. The moment you step through the double doors, though, it is readily apparent that you are in the midst of something special.

Robert Barbour

Jackson businessman Robert Barbour saw an empty lot in Midtown as an opportunity to engage with the community. Barbour, who owns Star Grocery on Bailey Avenue, will turn the space into a family festival Saturday during "Mid-Town ThrowDown."

City to Host Energy Savings Program

The City of Jackson will host an Energy Efficiency Program Aug. 10 and 11 at the Mississippi Arts Center (201 E. Pascagoula St.) from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Election Confusion Results in Unknowns

The Hinds County Sheriff's race wasn't the only primary race contested yesterday. Gay Polk, Democratic candidate for state representative of district 73, says she received several calls from voters in her district who were not able vote for her because she wasn't on the ballot.

Democratic Candidates on the Road Again

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Candidate of the Day: Cindy Hyde-Smith

Now that state Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith won the Republican primary Tuesday in her bid to become Mississippi's agricultural commissioner, she's helping her daughter start a new school year.

City Issues Boil Water Notice

The city of Jackson issued a boil-water notice for residents at Dorothy Lake and Pine Cove yesterday due to a water line break.

Education Update

Mississippi Curriculum Test 2 scores for the 2010-2011 school year show that for the first time in Mississippi more than 50 percent of students in each grade scored proficient or above in language arts. Each year, students in third through eighth grades take the tests, meant to measure school and district performance.

Buying the News

Everybody does it. That's essentially the explanation ABC broadcaster Chris Cuomo gave for the television network's practice of paying for photographs—a tricky way of paying sources to speak.

Measuring Progress: The Evolution of Downtown Jackson Partners

Downtown Jackson Partners President Ben Allen resembled a proud father during a presentation to downtown property owners at the Mississippi Museum of Art on May 26. A video displayed images of a vast cityscape, streets filled with smiling young professionals and renovated lofts.

Mississippi's Creative Economy

The Mississippi Development Authority and the Mississippi Arts Commission host a summit on Mississippi's Creative Economy Aug. 10 at the Jackson Convention Center.

Hinds County Sheriff's Race Not Over

Candidates and concerned citizens filled the basement of the Hinds County Courthouse this morning as they waited for the Hinds County Election Commission to certify remaining ballots that could determine the winner of the sheriff's race. After reports of polls opening late, and candidates left off ballots at the Wynndale precinct in Terry, supporters of Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin are questioning the validity of the ballots.

City Offers to Settle With Cedric Willis

After 17 years, Cedric Willis may get some measure of compensation from the city of Jackson for a wrongful conviction that cost him 12 years of his life. In 1994, Jackson police arrested Willis, then 19, for murder, rape, armed robbery and aggravated assault. Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Tomie Green exonerated him of all charges in 2006. Willis did not commit the crimes for which he was imprisoned.

JRA Questions Parking Garage

Jackson Redevelopment Authority board members want to determine the feasibility of two high-priced developments that the quasi-government agency may help finance.

Shae Goodman-Robinson

Shae Goodman-Robinson's life is centered in west Jackson. She was born and raised in the area. Her parents, Alex and Lula Goodman, still live in her childhood home, and her children (son, Cornelius, 17, and daughter, Tori, 16) attend Jim Hill High School, her alma mater.

Bryant Wins GOP Primary; Dems to have Runoff

Phil Bryant won the Republican primary last night and Democratic governor candidates Bill Luckett and Johnny DuPree face a run off.

James Ford Seale Dead in Prison; Helped Kill 2 Black Teens in 1964

James Ford Seale, 76, has died in prison in Terre Haute, Ind., where he was serving three life sentences on federal kidnapping charges in 2007, the Associated Press is reporting. In 1964, he was a Ku Klux Klansman who helped kidnap and murder two teenagers, Henry Dee and Charles Moore. The Jackson Free Press accompanied Moore's brother, Thomas, and a cameraman from the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. in 2005 back to Meadville and Roxie, Miss., where the team discovered that Seale was still alive and living openly next to his brother in a trailer in Roxie. Other media, including the Associated Press and The Clarion-Ledger, had reported him dead.

Best in Show

The Neshoba County Fair has a Ferris wheel, deep-fried food, livestock shows and 4-H exhibits, but the best entertainment is the political theatrics that take place under the pavilion in Founder's Square.

The JFP Interview with Bill Luckett

In Clarksdale, Miss., Bill Luckett may as well already be governor. An attorney by training, he seems to have a hand in nearly every significant activity in town. Down the road from his law office, a revitalization effort is afoot in downtown Clarksdale. Ground Zero Blues Club and Madidi Restaurant, two ventures Luckett owns with actor Morgan Freeman, are central to this progress.

The JFP Interview With Tyrone Lewis

Tyrone Lewis, former Jackson Police officer (1983-2010), police chief and Democratic candidate for Hinds County Sheriff, is not a small man. He stands about 6 feet, but his barrel chest is like a cowcatcher on a 19th-century steam locomotive. When he flexes his arms, the muscles beneath the skin tumble over one another like a bag of basketballs.

The JFP Interview with Malcolm McMillin

Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin's office is home to several porcelain and ceramic pigs. Asked about his collection, the sheriff points to a Winston Churchill quote on his wall. "A cat looks down upon a man, and a dog looks up to a man, but a pig will look a man in the eye and see his equal," the quote reads.

Ellington