News

The Cost of ‘Tough on Crime'

Jackson resident Almona Fleming is a placid woman, prone to introspective stares and thoughtful contemplation during interviews. Her calm demeanor says nothing about the writhing coil of hunger that for years twisted inside her, eating at both her stomach and her family life.

Council Approves Renaming Proposal

Members of the Jackson City Council passed a proposal by Council President Frank Bluntson to remove a petition requirement for the renaming of city streets or facilities. The current ordinance requires approval from 75 percent of property owners within 150 feet of a public facility or street are to approve changing a street or facility's name.

Walthall County: Separate and Still Unequal

The two biggest high schools in Walthall County are only 10 miles apart, but for almost 20 years a student transfer policy allowed the two schools to become symbolically separate, effectively re-segregated public schools. Last week, a federal judge put an end to the county's intra-district transfer policy, confirming that the Department of Justice's 1970 desegregation order is still necessary.

Alfred Jacobs

On any given day during a week, you can find Alfred Jacobs, 46, walking the halls of Bradley Elementary School. Jacobs is not the principal or even a paid administrator at the school; he is an involved parent.

Hood Requests Execution Dates

After the Mississippi Supreme Court denied appeals for two death row inmates Monday, Attorney General Jim Hood requested the court set execution dates for the two men. Paul Woodward has been on death row since 1987 and Gerald Holland since 1993. Hood has requested dates on or before May 20. The U.S. Supreme Court also declined to hear either case.

Council Mulling JATRAN Suit, Route Consolidation

The Jackson City Council will either approve or reject an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice on making city buses more accessible to the disabled and consider consolidating bus routes to cut costs at its 6 p.m. meeting tonight.

Alice Walker

Long before Alice Walker wrote "The Color Purple," she made her mark on Jackson as a civil rights and women's activist.

Business Round Up

Local celebrity chef and entrepreneur Nathan Glenn told the Jackson Free Press last week that he will no longer be The Auditorium's general manager. Instead, chef Nate Ballard will take over as the new general manager. Glenn will continue to co-own The Auditorium but said he will focus on operations at Basil's in Fondren, which he also owns. Next month, he will unveil his new website, Glennfoods.com, to promote all area Basil's Restaurants and the new Congress Street Bar and Grill--all owned by family members.

Consultants Recommend Merging School Districts

A consulting firm hired to evaluate Mississippi public school districts for possible consolidations have recommended merging 18 of the state's 149 underperforming districts with their larger neighbors. The company, Augenblick, Palaich and Associates, presented their findings yesterday to a school-consolidation commission appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour.

Hinds County Mulls Inmate Medical Expenses

Hinds County is on track to outspend its budget for inmate medical expenses, county supervisors learned at a meeting this morning. Dan Gibson, the county's inmate medical facilitator, told supervisors that, six months into the fiscal year, the county has spent $1.3 million on medical care for prisoners, more than 50 percent of its annual inmate medical budget. Last year, inmate medical expenses were roughly $700,000 at this point.

Mini-Grants Available to Abused Women

Heather Spencer's legacy lives on to protect Mississippi women who are the victims of domestic violence. Spencer's family and friends organized the non-profit Heather's T.R.E.E. shortly after George Bell III murdered her in September 2007, with the purpose of training, providing resources, educating and empowering women in the state.

Community Events and Public Meetings

Monday, April 19

2 p.m., "Global Warming: Attribution, Who is to Blame?" at Jackson State University (1400 John R. Lynch St.) in Just Science Hall, room 209. Dr. Anthony Lupo of the University of Missouri-Columbia will discuss the science of climate change as well as his own experiences as a contributor and expert reviewer for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Call 601-979-7012.

Meaghan Johnson

When one of Meaghan Johnson's second-grade students told her she had never painted before during a recent art project, Johnson says she realized the importance of providing students with creative opportunities to try new things.

Legislators Return to $5.5 Billion Budget Deal

The Mississippi Legislature will return to Jackson tomorrow to reconvene its regular session, put on hold three weeks ago in anticipation of $187 million in additional federal stimulus funds. In the meantime, top lawmakers have come up with a $5.5 billion budget for the 2011 fiscal year that does not rely on those funds, which have yet to materialize reports The Sun Herald.

Crossroads Film Festival Winners Announced

The Crossroads Film Society today announced the winners of its 2010 festival competition. The festival continues today at the Malco in Madison; all the winning films will screen. See the Crossroads festival site for schedule of other film screenings. The winners are:

Downtown Trees on the Chopping Block?

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Business Accelerator Hopes to Speed Entrepreneurs

A new collaborative venture run by Jackson's New Horizon Ministries seeks to promote entrepreneurship and develop the city's existing small businesses. The Jackson Business Accelerator will connect potential entrepreneurs and current business owners with resources, program manager Michael Harris said at a press conference this morning.

It's the Weekend

Spring is in full bloom, just in time for the 10th annual Crossroads Film Festival. The weekend festival is packed with workshops, screenings and after-parties. For a complete schedule and ticket prices visit festival's Web site. or read this week's JFP issue. Tonight you can meet filmmakers at Sal and Mookie's Pi(e) Lounge from 4:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. At 9:10 p.m., the festival will feature a music video showcase at the Malco Grandview at 221 Grandview Blvd. in Madison featuring local musicians such as J-Tran, Law School, Storage 24, Johnny Bertram and Furrows. If you'd rather stay downtown tonight, be sure to attend "Operation Spring Fling: A Benefit for Operation ShoeString," 7 p.m. at the Mississippi Museum of Art. The event will feature food and live entertainment by Horse Trailer and Wiley & The Checkmates. All proceeds go to benefit Operation Shoestring, an organization that provides afterschool programs and assistance to low-income families in Jackson. If you need more entertainment options, check out the JFP's Best Bets.

Bill Minor

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Mississippi Roads to Blame for Wrecks

The magnolia state ranks in the top ten for road-condition related vehicle crashes, reports WLBT. The 2006 cost to Mississippi for those wrecks stands between $103.4 million and $131.4 million.

Medical Mall Pitches Projects

The Jackson Medical Mall Foundation has several large economic-development projects pending, but Hinds County appears unable to support them, for the moment. Primus Wheeler, executive director for the foundation, asked the county Board of Supervisors at a work session this morning for $1.8 million to support an expansion on the Medical Mall's northern end. The Board has already allocated $2 million in bonds that would be its most likely source of funding, to another project.

Police Search for Shooting Suspect

The Jackson Police Department is searching for a suspect believed to have shot and killed a man outside the Texaco station on North State Street last Sunday morning.

Michael Wallace

The American Bar Association is a sore topic for Jackson attorney Michael Wallace, who is now representing Mississippi in a multi-state lawsuit against health-care reform.

Tonight: JPS Hosts Moms Conference

Jackson Public Schools is hosting its first ever Moms Conference tonight planned exclusively for JPS mothers, grandmothers, aunts and other female role models, celebrating "mothers as lifesavers." The conference kicks off at 5:30 p.m. at Galloway Elementary School (186 Idlewild St.), with registration starting at 4:30 p.m.

Lake 255 Makes its Debut

The Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board is considering decreasing the size and depth of its Lower Lake plan to save portions of LeFleur's Bluff Park and its adjoining campgrounds and hiking trails from inundation.

JPD Officers Get Commission Hearings

The Civil Service Commission has granted former Det. Ernest Perry a hearing to contest his 90-day unpaid suspension from the Jackson Police Department following an internal fuel theft investigation.

Levee Board Opinion Request Withdrawn

The Department of Archives and History has withdrawn its request for an opinion from Attorney General Jim Hood to determine if the Rankin-Hinds Pearl River Flood and Drainage Control District Levee Board should be designated as a state agency.

Pre-K: An Ounce of Prevention

Little Samaritan Montessori is an unusual sight in Jackson's Midtown neighborhood. In an area with high rates of vacancy and a declining population, Little Samaritan represents the future. The child-care center serves 62 children, from 6 weeks to 5 years old, with a Montessori curriculum, an experiential approach to education that emphasizes students' self-direction.

Philip Scarborough

When Philip Scarborough was a child, he watched "HBO's Behind the Scenes: Raider's of the Lost Ark," and decided to become a filmmaker. Scarborough's parents bought him a Super 8 camera when he was 11, and he has captured stories ever since.

Judge Orders End to Segregation Practices

Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Tom Lee put an immediate stop to Walthall County School District's alleged "clustering" policy, which has allowed hundreds of white students to transfer out of majority-black elementary schools, reports The Christian Science Monitor. The judge gave the district 30 days to formally change the policy.

Ellington