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Jay Losset

For the past six years, Jay Losset and members of the Umlaut Standing Krewe have arrived at the corner of Capitol and Congress streets as early as 8 a.m. to stake out their turf for the Mal's St. Paddy's Parade.

City to Honor Homeless Program Participants

The City of Jackson will honor participants from its Homeless Transitional Job Program this afternoon. The 15 participants have completed the program and transitioned from homelessness to stable housing or employment.

NAACP Joins Redistricting Fray

The Mississippi NAACP today asked a federal court to stop state legislators from running in their current districts in August because they are not representative of black voters.

Speed Returns to MDA

A familiar face is returning to the Mississippi Development Authority. Jackson real-estate developer Leland Speed is temporarily taking the reins of the MDA as executive director until January 2012, the remainder of Gov. Haley Barbour's term in office.

City Pushes Public-Arts Initiative

The city of Jackson is seeking community partners to support a public-arts initiative that will provide opportunities for artists and youth to create art installations in the city.

Catherine Sherer Bishop

A random Thursday night at Fenian's Pub in 1998 sparked a long-term love of Irish dance for Catherine Sherer Bishop. That night, Bishop saw the Jackson Irish Dancers, then a newly formed group, performing and asked to join in their next dance. Although they discouraged her, saying that the dance was not for the faint of heart, she quickly learned the steps and performed it perfectly that night.

Fewer States Trying Kids As Adults

Read the report here.

States are examining their laws for trying children as adults for certain crimes. More than 20 states have reformed or are reforming their policies in the last five years, according to a Campaign for Youth Justice report released yesterday.

MPB Moves Toward Self-Sufficiency

Big underwriters with deep pockets could save Mississippi Public Broadcasting. To find those generous companies, MPB employees preoccupied with periodic membership drives need time to make convincing sales pitches. To free up that time, MPB says an independent consultant might handle its next fundraising drive.

Our Voices Will Be Heard

When Greenwood resident Sandra Stringfellow was diagnosed with HIV 16 years ago, she felt isolated and alone. Her neighbor flagged down Stringfellow's visitors to tell them that Stringfellow was positive and that they shouldn't associate with her.

Stadiums and Sticky Hands

Jackson State University will be the new owner of Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium if Gov. Haley Barbour agrees.

More Redistricting Fireworks Ahead?

The battle over African American-majority legislative districts continues this week in the state capitol after a confusing series of dueling redistricting proposals failed to stick--two from the Mississippi House of Representatives; one from the Senate; and a fourth especially controversial effort by Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant.

Jackson ‘White Flight' Slows In Last Decade

The release of 2010 Census data earlier this year may have been a gut-check for Jackson's leaders, but the numbers were hardly surprising. News reports, however, were quick to seize on them: Jackson's population dropped 5.8 percent over the last decade, from 184,256 in 2000 to 173,514 in 2010. Meanwhile, the five-county metropolitan statistical area--which includes Copiah, Hinds, Madison, Rankin and Simpson counties--grew 8.4 percent.

Donovan Childress

Donovan Childress sits relaxed across the table, scratching his beard and looking ahead with an expression that regularly breaks into a wide, affable smile.

Murrah Coach off the Hook, For Now

Murrah High School Basketball Coach Marlon Dorsey will not face simple assault charges for whipping basketball players with a weight belt, a Hinds County Judge ruled yesterday.

State Economic Picture Improves

In light of an improved economic outlook, a panel of state lawmakers agreed today to adopt slightly higher estimates for state revenues in the 2011 and 2012 fiscal years.

Workshops and Financing

Clarence Chapman, developer of the Timber Falls housing subdivision in south Jackson, expects a health clinic and small grocery store to be among the first commercial tenants of his multi-stage project, which he anticipates costing $400 million total. Chapman said that he has spent $56 million on the project already.

Mark LeVaughn

Mississippi Medical Examiner Dr. Mark LeVaughn was ice-cool at his introduction ceremony yesterday. Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Albert Santa Cruz officially announced LeVaughn as the state's new chief medical examiner, and pointed out that the state has not had a real chief medical examiner since 1995.

Barbour Spokesman Resigns

Gov. Haley Barbour accepted the resignation yesterday of Press Secretary Dan Turner. Turner's resignation comes after a Politico blog entry about daily e-mails Turner sent out to the governor's staff containing offensive jokes.

Flood Study Cost Increase Spurs Finger Pointing

Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District Board Chairman Gary Rhoads said today that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is to blame for cost increases in a multi-million-dollar study of flood control on the Pearl River between Hinds and Rankin counties.

Mandatory Sex Ed: Almost There

The Mississippi Senate and House of Representatives are awaiting the governor's signature on a bill forcing all local public-school boards to adopt a policy to add "abstinence-only" or "abstinence-plus" education into its curriculum by June 30, 2012.

Jackson Addiction Treatment Facility to Close

A Jackson alcohol and drug treatment facility that houses approximately 28 patients without insurance or ability to pay for treatment is expected to close its doors tomorrow.

Nikki Giovanni

It's fitting that Nikki Giovanni's appearance at Jackson State University next week is in honor of the JSU Student Government Association's "Women's Emphasis Week," celebrating women's achievements. For more than 40 years, Giovanni has a leading voice for women's and minority rights, as well as a successful and influential poet.

Community Events and Public Meetings

Free Tax Counseling and Filing. IRS/AIM or AARP volunteers will do electronic filing. Bring all necessary documents. Joint filers must come together. Free.

Barbour Takes on National Economy

As the Mississippi Legislature gears up for a battle over the state's 2012 budget, Gov. Haley Barbour heads to Chicago today where he is expected to criticize President Barack Obama's economic policies.

Bryant: Voting Rights Act Rigs Elections

Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant spent the better half of a March 8 public forum mischaracterizing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as a former president's lingering attempt to influence southern elections.

School Funding Takes Hopeful Turn

An upcoming revised revenue estimate for Mississippi could give public-education advocates and supporters some breathing room. The state Legislature's Revenue Estimating Committee met this week, and Mississippi Parents' Campaign Executive Director Nancy Loome says that an estimated increase in state revenue could help make the case for level education funding during upcoming budget negotiations at the state Capitol.

Tom Harmon

"Art is a very important part of community. You can't have too much," artist Tom Harmon says.

Weekend Events

If you didn't get tickets to the now sold-out Kid Rock concert at the Mississippi Coliseum tonight, don't worry; you still have plenty of options for entertainment in Jackson. The Art House Cinema Downtown screens the indie films "The Other Woman" at 7 p.m. and "Queen of the Lot" at 9:05 p.m. at the Russell C. Davis Planetarium (201 E. Pascagoula St.); $7. After you catch a flick, head out for a night on the town. Ole Tavern (416 George St.) features music by David Dondero, Franz Nicolay and Overnight Lows. Catch Storage 24 performing at Dreamz Jxn (426 W. Capitol St.) during the Kid Rock after party and crawfish boil at 9 p.m. Need more options? We've got you covered. Check out JFP Music Listings and Best Bets.

Key AG Bills Headed to Barbour

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Five of the Attorney General Jim Hood's key legislative bills are now headed to the Governor for his signature.

Bryant's Redistricting Plan Fails

The Mississippi Senate struck down Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant's controversial substitute redistricting plan, which would have diffused black voting power in Hattiesburg, with a 35-to-16 vote today.

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