News

Creating a Brand

Tripp Muldrow is a busy man. In the past year, he has spent 150 days traveling throughout the country, listening to residents and compressing often-complicated stories into brands that instill community pride.

DOJ Scrutinizing State Mental Health

Mississippi could lose a lawsuit over its mental-health system now that the U.S. Department of Justice supports the suit.

How Would the GOP Budget Affect Those in Poverty?

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., released his budget proposal to fund the government for fiscal year 2012 on April 5. If enacted, how would these cuts impact low-income families? What would the GOP's new budget mean for our safety net? And how many people are hungry in Congressman Ryan's district?

Tax Facts Hardly Anyone Knows

For three decades America has conducted a massive economic experiment, testing a theory known as supply-side economics. The theory goes like this: Lower tax rates will encourage more investment, which in turn will mean more jobs and greater prosperity—so much so that tax revenues will go up, despite lower rates.

Rev. Mike Campbell

The Rev. Mike Campbell spends what little spare time he has catching up on movies. Campbell, 46, is senior pastor at Redeemer Church, at 640 E. Northside Drive. After spending more than a decade in Miami, the Bluefield, Va., native moved to Jackson almost seven years ago, with his wife, Keren, and their three children.

A Year After the Gulf Tragedy

When the Deepwater Horizon disaster killed 11 men at sea last April and set off the worst oil spill in U.S. history, the tragedy exposed a number of weaknesses--not least of which were decades-old laws that limited the liability of major players.

State Executions Illegal, Attorneys Say

Two Jackson attorneys are asking the state to delay multiple executions to get itself legal on the use of a new euthanasia drug.

Eco-Clothing Store to Open; New Jobs

For years, Jackson resident Gary Morgan eyed the corner of Duling Avenue and North State Street where the consignment shop The Orange Peel was located. After years of searching for the perfect place to have his own eco-clothing store, he jumped at the opportunity to lease the space when it came available last month after the consignment store moved to Mitchell Avenue.

Marcus Burger

Marcus Burger knows his way around the three primordial elements of rock, paper and scissors. Burger, who is the Hinds County deputy director for Young Leaders in Philanthropy, is organizing a tournament of the game to raise money for YLP's signature program, Imagination Library, an early childhood literacy initiative.

City Continues Storm Clean Up

The City of Jackson is continuing to clean up debris after tornadoes hit the city April 15.

Residents should place storm debris at their curbs by Wednesday, when additional city crews will pick up the debris.

Edwards Resumes Arguing to Keep Job

A laudatory report that Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Lonnie Edwards has repeatedly cited as evidence of his good work dates back to 2009 and comes from an organization for which he serves as a board member. Edwards, who is currently mired in a hearing on his three-year contract with JPS, has used the report from the Council of the Great City Schools to makes the case for a contract extension.

Mobile Food Ordinance in Dispute

Ward 1 Councilman Quentin Whitwell is trying to orchestrate a deal between downtown food suppliers and advocates of a new city ordinance that will allow restaurants to bring food to the downtown lunch crowd or Fondren on the back of a truck or van.

Beneta Burt

Beneta Burt knows it can be a challenge to change people's behaviors when it comes to healthy living. As project director for the Mississippi Roadmap to Health Equity, Burt promotes systemic, incremental solutions and programs to help fight obesity in the state.

Community Events and Meetings

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

Tornado Victims Pick Up the Pieces

view photos of damage from Friday's tornado &raquo

City Begins Clean Up

Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. urged residents to drive with caution and stay clear of debris resulting from tornadoes during a press conference today at the Hinds County Emergency Operations Center in Jackson.

Free Speech Showdown at Soldier's Funeral

Hundreds of motorcycle-riding veterans will assemble tomorrow to shield mourners of a slain Brandon Marine from an extremist anti-gay hate group that protests military funerals. Alan "Dragonslayer" Smith, a regional ride captain for the Mississippi chapter of the Patriot Guard Riders, said he expects more than 200 riders to show up Saturday for the funeral of Staff Sgt. Jason Rogers, who died serving in Afghanistan earlier this month.

City Responds to Storm

Verbatim statement: City of Jackson announces that emergency crews have been assessing storm damage. Preliminary reports indicate that portions of west and northwest Jackson have experienced storm damage including down power lines, fallen trees, roof damage, and scattered property damage.

McMillin Talks Jail, Firings

Hinds County Sheriff Malcolm McMillin said today that he rightfully fired nine county-jail employees.

Millsaps Hosts Latin American Studies Symposium

Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Civil War, Millsaps College hosts "Abraham Lincoln and Benito Juarez," during its second annual Latin American Studies Symposium today.

Fannie Lou Hamer

Last Sunday, my partner, Todd Stauffer, and I set off on another of our weekend road trips that take us wherever we end up. This time, we landed in Ruleville, northwest of Greenwood, at the grave of Fannie Lou Hamer and her husband, "Pap" Hamer.

Weekend Events

This weekend is packed with live entertainment and fun events, so plan your time wisely. After the storms clear this evening, head to the Mississippi Museum of Art at 7 p.m. for Operation Shoestring's annual Spring Fling fundraiser. The event raises money for Operation Shoestring's after school programs and features food and drink as well as live music by The Chill. Admission is $20. For some late-night fun, attend Mr. Kid & The Brothers Fox CD release party with Spacewolf and Mark Roemer at Hal & Mals. For more live entertainment options, check out the JFP Music Listings.

Hood Praises Crime Victim Assistance

Mississippi's victims and survivors of violent crime have a wide network of support available to them, including a state compensation fund, Attorney General Jim Hood said today, speaking at an awards ceremony and rally to commemorate National Crime Victims' Week.

Men ‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes' at Capitol

They came marching down President Street with bulgy, muscled arms, shaggy chest hair and hard, narrowed eyes. You could almost see the testosterone sloshing from their ears as they swaggered in time. They chanted a militant marching tune as their footsteps drummed aggressively on the street:

Martha Foose

For Martha Foose, cooking isn't just about the food. It's about the company, the memories and the art of eating well.

SBA Sets Record for Loans

For the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, the Mississippi Small Business Administration has set a record of approving 460 loans totaling $198,448,900.

Now Comes the Hard Part, Again

Mississippi's lawmakers may have approved $20 million in bonds for a state civil-rights museum last week, but the project still has major hurdles to clear before becoming a reality. Chief among those is a private fundraising effort, the same thing that doomed an earlier incarnation of the project.

Redistricting Goes to Court

The courts likely will decide Mississippi's redistricting maps after the state Senate voted to end the session last week without adopting a new redistricting map.

Changing the Lobbying Game

Cities will have a more difficult time pulling down federal money in Congress' continuing war on earmarks.

JPD Too Slow on Theft?

On Monday, March 14, Jackson resident Torri Parker and her boyfriend returned to her car parked at Parham Bridges Park after a workout there and discovered the passenger-side window knocked out and her purse missing from the vehicle. So began a spring break spent doing her own detective work.

Ellington