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Irby Wants Her Day in Court

Karen Irby, sentenced to 18 years in prison for the deaths of two young doctors last month, says she was forced to plead guilty, and now wants to withdraw that plea, reports WAPT. Irby was legally drunk and behind the wheel of her black Mercedes when the car crossed into oncoming traffic on Old Canton Road, Feb. 11, 2009, crashing head on into a pickup truck driven by Drs. Lisa Dedousis and Daniel Pogue. The two doctors died at the scene when their truck burst into flames.

Hood Talks Damage Claims at Oil Spill Hearing

BP's Letter to House Speaker Billy McCoy

House Speaker: BP's Absence an ‘Insult'

Verbatim Statement from House Speaker Billy McCoy:

As Speaker of the House, I consider it an insult to our citizens and Legislature that a representative of BP was not present at today's first hearing held by the House Select Committee.

House Panel Questions Dispersant Toxicity

Some House members left this morning's inaugural meeting of the House Select Committee on the Gulf Coast Disaster without knowing the potential risk of dispersants that British Petroleum is using to break up and sink millions of gallons of oil bursting from a destroyed deepwater oil well off the coast of Louisiana.

Birdland Reopening, Economy Still Lagging

Farish Street nightclub Birdland is open again after spending eight months closed under a court order. The club renewed its privilege license and dancehall permit Friday and was open last weekend, Jackson Police Department spokesman Detective Roderick Holmes told the Jackson Free Press today.

David Powe

As chief administrative officer for the University of Mississippi Medical Center, David Powe oversees the daily operations of an economic powerhouse. The center represents 10 percent of the Jackson metro area's economy, and its clout is only growing. Six years ago, when Powe took over as CAO, UMMC reported annual revenues of $686 million. This year, the center is on track for $1.2 billion in revenue.

Barbour Taking Heat for Oil Responses

Gov. Haley Barbour is being criticized on several fronts for his response to the damaged BP well in the Gulf that has spewed millions of gallons of oil into the sea since April 20. Twice, Barbour has been out of the state when President Barack Obama visited the coast, most recently to attend a picnic and meet with bond agencies in New York City.

Coast Clear of Oil, But Barbour's Comments Misleading

Although oil spouting from the April 20 destruction of a British Petroleum deepwater oil well is devastating Louisiana wetlands, state officials say Mississippi Gulf waters are still clear and open for business.

Doing Good: Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project

For lower-income residents who can't afford legal services, the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyer's Project provides free legal services clinics and representation through more than 1,800 lawyers who volunteer their time and services.

Juanyce Taylor

Being first is a designation many people desire to possess, although most aren't always that fortunate. But Juanyce Taylor, director of diversity assessment and programs for the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has a history of originality.

Community Events and Public Meetings

5 p.m., America Reads-Mississippi Member Recruitment, at Jackson State University (1400 John R. Lynch St.), at the Sally M. Barksdale Educational Resource Center. ARM members tutor full-time during the school day, before and after school, over breaks and in the summer. Members support school and community efforts to increase parental and community support and involvement, recruit volunteers and attend monthly training to gain skills necessary to meet service obligations. Members who successfully complete 1,700 hours in one year will receive the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award worth $5,350, which can be used to attend college and/or pay off current qualified student loans. Call 601-979-1474.

U.S. Official Cheers Stimulus Jobs

Robert Peck, U.S. general services administration's commissioner of public buildings touted 48 new jobs created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, during a press conference at the McCoy Federal Building today.

Census Director Stresses Cultural Sensitivity

U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert Groves met yesterday with representatives from a variety of Mississippi civil rights advocacy organizations to address concerns about low census participation in parts of the state. Groves' visit came in response to a May 18 letter to the Congressional subcommittee overseeing the census that highlighted obstacles to administering the census in historically hard-to-count communities.

Thank God It's Friday

Thank God It's Friday

Thirsty for some drinks and music? Start off your weekend at Hal & Mal's in their Big Room with a show by Robert Randolph and the Family Band. The show starts at 9 p.m., tickets are $25 at the door. Also tonight, Rhonda Richmond will also be performing at Afrika Book Cafe at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15. If music isn't your thing, Rainbow Whole Foods Co-Operative Grocery will have a dinner and a movie in the Rainbow Plaza at 7:30 p.m. The featured film is "Sita Sings the Blues," and a vegetarian meal will be provided. Tickets are $16 at the door and $14 for members. If you've got some energy left over from this short week, head over to Body Benefits on Pear Orchard Road tonight at 5 p.m. for a three-hour spinning workshop. The workshop includes a question and answer session and refreshments. Cost of the workshop is $50. Want more? Check out Best Bets or JFP Events Calendar

Beverly Scurlock

Of all the ways one could begin to describe Beverly Scurlock, it is hard to believe that "quiet" would be one of them. Yet, that's what Mark Scurlock first noticed about her when the two met at the student union grill at Coahoma Junior College in 1983.

Mississippi No. 2 in Gun Deaths

States like Mississippi with high gun ownership and weak gun laws lead the nation in gun deaths, concludes a new report by the non-profit Violence Policy Center based in Washington, D.C. The Magnolia state ranks No. 2 for gun deaths with a rate of 18.32 deaths per 100,000, right behind neighboring Louisiana with a rate of 19.87 deaths.

New Money for Farish and Medical Mall Expands

The Jackson Redevelopment Authority approved a $1 million loan yesterday to the The Farish Street Group to continue their renovations on Farish Street, and passed a resolution recommending that the city expand the Jackson Medical Mall Urban Renewal Area.

JPD Promoting 30 Officers to Sergeant

Read this week's crime report

Mi Isha Lowe

Mi Isha Lowe still remembers her high school's summer reading program. She explains that while all the books she was required to read were good, her favorite was "Gifted Hands," the story of Dr. Ben Carson's journey from growing up in Detroit's inner-city to becoming a professor of neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins University.

GOP Runoff for District 2

Voters will head back to the polls June 22 to select a Republican candidate to face U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson in the November general election. Both Jackson Public Schools teacher Richard Cook of Byrum and former Chicago police officer Bill Marcy of Meridian received 35 percent of the vote, reports WAPT.

Jonathan Larkin: The Exit Interview

The Jackson Public Schools Board that Jonathan Larkin served on for almost eight years is a far cry from the board's current, collegial incarnation. Larkin, 55, served from 2002 until this spring, when Monica Gilmore-Love replaced him.

Just Five Years to RiverWalk?

Jackson developer David Watkins wants to move the Town Creek out of its traditional bed and replace it with a scenic, man-made canal stretching from Mill Street to the creek's Pearl River confluence.

16th-Section Logging Too Zealous?

A former Forestry Commission employee is alleging that poor oversight and a new focus on aggressive logging is making statewide timber theft easier.

Lottie W. Thornton

Poised and graceful, Lottie W. Thornton settles into a white oak rocking chair her father made. The walls of her home are lined with awards from Jackson State University's Alumni Association, and from service and teachers organizations. She points to two plaques on her dining room table.

Nunnelee Snags GOP Nomination

In yesterday's Republican primary for Mississippi's 1st Congressional District, state Senator Alan Nunnelee took home 51 percent of the vote, reports UPI. Henry Ross, former mayor of Eupora garnered 33 percent and former FOX News commentator Angela McGlowan took 16 percent.

Executive Summary Scant on Details

Read the executive summary (PDF, 221KB)

Oil Found on Miss. Barrier Island

Residue from the Gulf oil spill has washed up on Petit Bois Island, Gov. Haley Barbour announced in a press conference this afternoon. A two-mile long strand, approximately one meter wide reached the six-mile long island south of Pascagoula this morning, Barbour said. Crews have already begun cleaning up the oil, using shovels, and should finish in a day.

City Council Expands Smoking Ban

Read the city's amended smoking ordinance.

Regions Plaza Facelift, Steam Room Grille Moves

Regions Plaza downtown is set to begin $1 million in improvements this month. The Hertz Investment Group is updating fixtures and floors in the building to help attract new tenants. Duckworth Realty, which has managed the building for Hertz since late 2009, has brought on four new tenants recently, including Disability Rights Mississippi and Hayes Dent Public Strategies.

JFP People of the Day: Laura Crawford and Russ Roca

When Laura Crawford and Russ Roca quit their day jobs to bike around the country, they had only one requirement: As long as they were having fun, they would continue to travel.

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