News

Due Diligence on Biofuels

Despite a strong show of support from state lawmakers last month, Houston-based startup KiOR is still a long way from breaking ground on the three biofuel facilities it has pledged to build in Mississippi. KiOR must secure a purchase agreement with an oil refinery before it can receive the $75 million loan the Mississippi Legislature authorized Aug. 27, and state and company officials say an agreement is still to come.

Alan Henderson

After spending the last few years attending school in Washington, D.C., Alan Henderson decided to return to his hometown with the goal of using his experiences to rebuild the city of Jackson.

Voting for Ole Miss Mascot Begins Today

Polls opened at 8 a.m. this morning for University of Mississippi alumni, students, faculty and season ticket holders to vote on a new school mascot.

Council Approves Judge, Tables Store Ban

This morning, the Jackson City Council confirmed the appointment of former Municipal Judge Gail Wright Lowery as municipal judge pro tempore to preside over the city's new code enforcement.

Openings In Fondren, West and South Jackson

Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. celebrates the opening tomorrow of Fondren Hall, a new events space and conference center on the site of an old Primo's restaurant. The opening marks the completion of Fondren Plaza, a shopping center redeveloped by Ali Jamila and his brothers, Khalid and Mohammed. Fondren Plaza also houses the Jamila's own business, Room By Room Furniture, along with the Jackson Police Department's Precinct 4 headquarters and other offices.

Dr. Grayson Norquist

University of Mississippi Medical Center professor Dr. Grayson Norquist's years of experience and leadership in the medical field has earned him a seat advising federal health-care reform.

Lesbian Teen's Lawsuit Challenged

Copiah County School district officials are asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit that lesbian teen Ceara Sturgis filed after school officials excluded a photograph of her wearing a tuxedo on the senior page of Wesson Attendance Center's yearbook, The Sun Herald reported yesterday.

Hinds Takes Over GPS Monitoring of Juveniles

Hinds County has received $80,000 to use GPS technology to track juvenile offenders under house arrest. The county Board of Supervisors voted today to accept a one-year grant from the state Department of Public Safety that will allow it to take over the monitoring program from Court Programs, Inc., which has handled monitoring for the past three years for the county's youth court.

Supreme Court Rejects Minor and Seale Appeals

This morning The U.S. Supreme Court announced it would not hear the case of Mississippi Attorney Paul Minor and former judges Walter "Wes" Teel and John Whitfield convicted of fraud in 2007. The court also will not hear with the case of reputed klansman James Ford Seale convicted in 2007 of kidnapping and conspiracy in the 1964 deaths of two young black men.

Study Finds Unequal Punishment of Black Students

Black students are twice as likely to get out-of-school suspensions and in some school districts, middle schools are three times more likely to suspend black boys, a new Southern Poverty Law Center study found.

Community Events and Public Meetings

Phi Theta Kappa Blood Drive Oct. 4-6, at Hinds Community College, Raymond Campus (501 E. Main St., Raymond). Donate blood in the donor coach parked in front of the Student Union. Hours are from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. daily. All donors receive a free T-shirt (while supplies last) and are entered to win a pair of tickets to an SEC football game. Donations welcome; call 800-817-7449.

Big K.R.I.T.

Mississippians will have the opportunity to see some home-grown talent this Friday when Meridian native and hip-hop artist Big K.R.I.T. performs in Jackson.

Mabus Pushes for Gulf Funds

In U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus' Coast recovery plan released last week, he recommends that a large portion of BP's penalty money go to the Gulf Coast, The Sun Herald reported.

Jackson Reduces Budget by $5.3 Million

The Jackson City Council approved a final revision to the city's budget containing a total of $5.3 million in budget reductions, after the administration overestimated some department expenditures and increased insurance costs.

JSU Dreaming of Civil Rights Corridor

John R. Lynch Street, the history-rich thoroughfare running through Jackson State University, could see new life as a civil-rights corridor. JSU leaders floated a vision of the street as a living museum in a discussion with community members last night.

Michael Matthews Guidry

As director of New Stage Theatre's Unframed Series, Michael Matthews Guidry is pushing the envelope of traditional theater by bringing mature and edgy productions to Jackson.

Fun for All This Weekend

This evening, begin your weekend with a 3D history lesson as the Raymond Fall Pilgrimage kicks off "Presence with the Past" at the Raymond Cemetery (Port Gibson St., Raymond) at 6:30 p.m. Strolling through, you will see local actors depicting well-known Raymond residents who have passed on. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children 10 and under. Later, put on your best outfit, leave the kids with a babysitter and go to First Friday at the Marriott Hotel (200 E. Amite St.) at 9 p.m. for cocktails and conversation. DJ Fuyal will spin hits, and J. Holiday performs. Admission is $10. If you would rather spend time enjoying the cool autumn air, go to Salsa Mississippi's "Salsa on the Water" Latin dance party at the Marina Club at Lost Rabbit (147 Republic St., Suite 101, Madison) at 9 p.m. The event includes dancing on the boardwalk, beef and veggie burgers and beverages. If you don't know how to salsa, come an hour early for a free lesson. Admission is $10. Where's the best place to begin your weekend planning? The JFP Best Bets page, of course.

Mississippi Hosts Anti-Bullying Conference

Jervia Powell, 12, cried last year in history class. Some mean girls relentlessly bullied her. She still remembers their taunts.

Farm Bureau Submits Eminent Domain Signatures

Mississippians will likely vote on restricting the use of eminent domain to procure private land only for public economic development projects next November. Supporters of a ballot initiative limiting eminent domain submitted more than 119,000 signatures in support of the measure to Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann this morning.

Corps May Study One-Lake Plan

Also see: JFP Pearl River/Lakes Archive

Robert Myrick

As a state archeologist, Robert Myrick often gets questions about finding gold and dinosaur fossils. But unlike the fictionalized Indiana Jones, Myrick plays a large role in preserving Mississippi's history.

Voter Registration Deadline Saturday

Citizens must register to vote by Saturday to cast their ballots in the Nov. 2 judicial and congressional elections.

Copy-Cat Immigrant Law Costly

Jackson City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen said he was confident that the city could be exposed to considerable legal liability if legislators pass a bill mimicking a controversial Arizona law, which pushes local police into civil immigration enforcement duty.

Conservative Agenda Fueling Medicaid Numbers?

Republican governors in states including Mississippi and Nebraska may be using inflated cost figures for Medicaid in order to help a movement to roll back recent health-care reform.

Madison: Gated City?

Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler's recent strategy to keep outsiders from attending a city festival is consistent with the city's history of enforcing strict neighborhood covenants and zoning regulations that restrict rental properties in the city.

NAACP President: Target Companies, Not Immigrants

See: JFP Immigration Coverage

Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson criticized a panel of legislators today for not giving enough oversight on companies that import and hire immigrant workers to pay low wages and avoid taxes. "If you're truly serious about fixing immigration issues you will focus your attention upon the entities who recruit, lure and house illegal immigrants in this state," Johnson said. "Instead you pursue individuals looking for honest work."

The ‘Bedroom-Police' of Pearl

Read the Ordinance (PDF, 604 KB)

Walking for Pierce

Pierce lay motionless in her arms, with his little Mohawk hair, dark brown and full. "I got to see his face," says Leah Helms, 33, about what she remembers most vividly in the final moments of her son's life. "I'm glad that we got to have that moment. ... (My husband, BJ, and I) were both just speechless ... how pretty to see his nose and mouth and face."

Maggie Middleton

"When I was 5, I told my mom that I wanted to be three things: I wanted to be a lawyer, a cheerleader and an actress, and they're kind of all the same thing," Maggie Middleton says, laughing at her youthful comparisons.

Public Safety Head: Anti-Immigration Bill Too Costly

The state may not have the finances or manpower to cover new mandates that would result from a proposed Mississippi bill to copy a controversial Arizona law imposing immigration enforcement duties upon local and state law enforcement, Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Steve Simpson told legislators today.

Ellington