News

Homeless Shelter Closes Due to Lack of Funding

Opportunity Center, the only daytime homeless shelter in Jackson, closed Friday. The shelter, which was operated by Stewpot Community Services, offered a variety of social services. On daily basis about 175 homeless men and women could use laundry and shower facilities, receive mail and phone calls, and seek day-labor work.

Community Events and Public Meetings

Mustard Seed Book Drive at Borders (100 Dogwood Blvd., Flowood). Donate books in good condition to the residents of The Mustard Seed. Donations welcome; call 601-992-3556.

Sam Gleese

Reverend Sam Gleese is determined to educate people with disabilities. A soft spoken and humble man, he is the president of The National Federation for the Blind in Mississippi and coordinator for the Americans with Disabilities Act. "When I took over the federation in '86, there were only two chapters. As of right now, we have eight chapters across the state," Gleese says.

Nearly Half of All Mississippians Not Connected

About half—45 percent—of all Mississippi residents are unable to do what many of us take for granted: read this, or any other Web site. They're unable to send e-mails to family or friends, search for jobs, find news and information, or do any of a myriad of tasks on the Internet, according to the U.S. Census Current Population Survey. The state has the lowest number of people connected to the Internet in the country, reports The Sun Herald.

NAACP President: Segregation Still a Problem

One example of how state and local government continues to attack public education in Mississippi is a bill that would allow charter schools, said NAACP President Derrick Johnson during a community meeting at Koinonia Coffee House today.

Downtown Restaurant To Bring Local Focus

Craig Noone is nervous these days. The Jackson native is opening his first restaurant, Parlor Market, in June, and he spends his days overseeing renovations at the 115 W. Capitol St. location.

Dani Mitchell Turk

Even though she never went to culinary school, Dani Mitchell Turk has enough skill in the kitchen to earn herself a spot on national television. Turk will appear on the Food Network's "Ultimate Recipe Showdown" Sunday, April 4 at 8 p.m., where she will compete in the show's burger episode contest.

Easter Weekend Events

Start the weekend off by supporting Jackson's art scene. TALK dance Company presents Handel's "Messiah" and Copeland's "Rodeo" tonight at 8 p.m. at Jackson Academy's new Performing Arts Center. Proceeds from the performance will go toward "Merging Musical Worlds," TALK's international tour of Russia in May. To start your search for the weekend's best entertainment, visit Best Bets.

Barbour Signs Tougher Stalking Law

Also: Listen to Rep. Brandon Jones and Sen. David Blount talk about the stalking bill on JFP Radio.

Chaney Critical of Second Allstate Rate-Hike Request

Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said he has no intention of approving a 44 percent rate increase request by Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company on more than 50,000 homes statewide.

Barbour Still Waiting to Sue Feds

Gov. Haley Barbour will wait for the Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum to file a multi-state suit against recently passed national health-care reform before joining in, his office said today.

Vic Sexton

Vic Sexton bridges the gap between small businesses and city government. A senior planner for the city of Jackson, Sexton handles the city's outreach to small businesses. He provides some technical assistance and educates business owners about the city's grant programs for storefront improvement and small business development. Funded by the U.S. Department of House and Urban Development, the programs offer reimbursements of up to $15,000 for qualified businesses.

Personhood Initiative Approved for 2011 Ballot

The Mississippi Secretary of State's office approved an initiative today for the 2011 ballot asking voters to decide whether the constitution should designate that life begins at fertilization.

Police Department Saves $295,000

A 20-officer shortfall and decreased overtime in the Jackson Police Department are helping offset a $2.3 million drop in sales tax revenue this year.

Taking a Budget Break

The Mississippi Legislature put budget negotiations on pause this weekend, with plans to reconvene April 20, when the state's revenue forecast will be clearer.

Learning Spaces

There are more than 132,000 public and private schools in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

A Compromise Lake Plan?

Read Mississippi Engineering Group's Report (PDF)

Police Foundation Eyeing SafeCity Role

As the watchdog group SafeCity closes today citing financial issues, the police advocacy group Jackson Police Foundation, Inc., is contemplating a more active role in the city.

Phil Reed

The soft-spoken, polite 60-year-old man enjoyed his homemade vanilla ice cream at the Fourth of July picnic in Crystal Springs. With his wry smile and informal stance, it was easy to see him as a former pastor. I had no idea when I met him two years ago that this avid runner is the president and chief executive officer of Voice of Calvary Ministries.

Unemployment Nears 24 Percent in Some Counties

Five Mississippi counties reported jobless rates exceeding 20 percent in February, with Noxubee and Holmes counties edging toward a quarter of their populations collecting unemployment benefits; the counties reported rates of 23.3 and 23.1 percent unemployment, respectively. The other three counties are Winston (22.1 [percent), Clay (21.6 percent) and Tunica (21.1 percent).

2011 Will Bring New Businesses Near King Edward

A sluggish economy has pushed back a completion date on the re-development of buildings across Capitol Street from the King Edward Hotel, developer Jason Goree told the Jackson Free Press yesterday. Goree said that he had hoped to complete renovations and fill the four buildings by December 2010, but those plans have been pushed back for spring 2011.

Lee Unger

When Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. appointed Lee A. Unger to serve as the director of the city's department of administration last week, the mayor told Jackson City Council Finance Committee members that Unger's experience and strong record of financial management impressed him.

JPD Probing Irby Crash Investigation

The Jackson Police Department is conducting an internal investigation of one of its own officers' work in reconstructing a Feb. 11, 2009, car crash that took the lives of two Jackson doctors. Karen Irby, wife of Jackson businessman Stuart Irby, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter Friday for her role in the collision. Irby admitted that she had drunk two glasses of wine that night before speeding in her Mercedes-Benz down Old Canton Road, where it collided with a pickup truck carrying Dr. Mark Pogue and Dr. Lisa Dedousis. Stuart Irby was injured in the crash and did not testify in his wife's trial.

Jackson Behind on Census

The city of Jackson is behind the curve in returning 2010 census forms to the Census Bureau. Nationally, 46 percent of households have returned the forms, while Jackson is trailing with only 31 percent returned, one of the lowest rates in the country, according to the bureau.

House Votes to Expand Unemployment Benefits

More Mississippians could qualify for unemployment insurance under a bill the Mississippi House of Representatives passed Saturday. The Senate adjourned hours before the vote, meaning the Legislature will not bring up H. B. 1755 and 1756 until the Senate returns April 20. But the House vote suggests that both Republicans and Democrats may finally be on board with a bill that re-authorizes the Mississippi Department of Employment Security while drawing down more federal stimulus money.

Mimi's Brings Breakfast to Fondren

The growing Fondren restaurant scene has a new option for breakfast: Mimi's Family and Friends. Jackson natives Linda and Jim Burwell opened Mimi's last Friday. The Burwells live next door to the location, and Linda had eyed the former service station at the corner of North State and Hartfield streets for over a year.

Brent Hendrixson

Millsaps biology professor Dr. Brent Hendrixson's fascination with eight-legged crawling creatures started when he was a child and is now taking him to places like Costa Rica for research.

Barbour Rips Media over Health Care

It's the "liberal media elite" that is to blame for passage of the health-care bill, according to Gov. Haley Barbour. Speaking on ABC's "This Week" yesterday, Barbour insinuated that media coverage has been uncritical and biased, reports The Hill.

Jeremiah Wright: Prejudice Evident In Health Care Debate

Protesters shouting racial epithets at black lawmakers illustrates that prejudice against African Americans and the poor persist in the United States, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, President Barack Obama's former pastor, said in an appearance at Jackson State University yesterday.

Two-Way Capitol St., Water Line Repairs Closer

A massive state bonds bill, providing $2 million for converting Jackson's Capitol Street and up to $6 million for upgrading city water lines, cleared a major legislative hurdle yesterday and appears poised for passage. The water system improvements, which the bill would fund through interest-free loans, were a major item on Jackson's legislative wish list following a rash of water main breaks in January.

Ellington