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Belhaven ‘College' No More

After 126 years, Belhaven College, a private Christian liberal arts school in the heart of Jackson, is changing its name to Belhaven University. The school's president, Dr. Roger Parrott, will announce the change at an all-campus gathering today at 11:45 a.m.

BREAKING: Corps Says ‘No' to Lake Plans

Read More: Archive of JFP's Pearl River/Lakes Coverage

Hood Calls Foul on Entergy Upgrade Plan

Entergy Mississippi Inc. announced last week that it would be investing $500 million in "upgrading and bolstering" Mississippi transmission facilities between 2006 and 2013.

Bryant Announces Govt. Reorganization Plan

State legislators will consider reform and reorganization of state government in January, Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant said today. At a news conference this morning, Bryant released a report detailing recommendations for improving efficiency and accountability in Mississippi's government.

Miro Lago

Miro Lago can boast of being the first working manager of the King Edward Hotel in more than 40 years, since the business closed its doors in 1967. The King Edward Hotel, which is reopening as a Hilton Garden Hotel, is a fitting place for him, really. Lago, whose whole name is Argimiro Dimas Lago, III (His dad, Argi, used the first part of the name, while Miro took the second part) enjoys putting himself neck-deep in history. Before coming to Jackson, Lago ran a steamboat that cruised along the Mississippi River, was a front office manager in the Ponchartrain Hotel in New Orleans, built in 1927, and also ran the luxurious Maison Dupuy hotel in New Orleans' French Quarter.

Public Meetings and Community Events This Week

4 p.m., Jackson City Council work session at Jackson City Hall (200 S. President St.). Call 601-960-1033.

Council to Vote on Melton's Legal Fees

On tomorrow's agenda for the Jackson City Council is the question of whether to pay former Mayor Frank Melton's legal fees and those of his two bodyguards. City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen and Councilman Kenneth Stokes are bringing the question to the council Tuesday, according to WAPT.

Miss. State Wins Egg Bowl, 41-27

Throw out the records. This is the Egg Bowl. This year's annual rivalry between the Ole Miss Rebels (8-3) and Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-7) is the most appealing Egg Bowl in the last half-decade, or longer.

Opposition to University Mergers Strong

Gov. Haley Barbour's proposal to merge some state universities continues to draw ire. On Nov. 20, students rallied at Jackson State University to protest Barbour's suggestion that the state's other two historically black universities, Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State, be merged into JSU.

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Big Budget Wars

Gov. Haley Barbour is in crisis mode. The state is up against a $715 million budget shortfall in fiscal year 2011, by his estimates, and another $500 million shortage in fiscal year 2012.

JPS Weighs Bullying Policy

The bullying got so bad that LaShron Cooley's daughter began to feel physically sick before school. As a sixth-grader in the International Baccalaureate Program at Northwest Middle School, the girl was teased for being bookish and sticking out. Her mother is from Detroit, and some classmates accused her daughter of talking "white."

Curnis Upkins

Curnis Upkins, 27, knows what he wants. He wants his neighborhood to support the kind of diversity found in thriving communities. Serendipitously for him, he gets paid to create opportunities for his community to flourish.

Insurance-Reform Bills Big on Change

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had a lot to be proud of at the end of October when the House released a new and improved bill to reform health care and health-care coverage. The 10-year $894 billion package, she said, would expand coverage to more than 36 million Americans.

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Mississippi Invitational in its Last Week at MMA

The show was recently reviewed favorably in the industry magazine Art in America.

After this week, the 2009 Mississippi Invitational exhibition is history. This year's exhibition is the seventh such survey of Mississippi art, including a variety of works from a diversity of artists. Selected by New York based-based curator Peter Plagens, the exhibition features artists including Duncan Baird, Cleveland; Brent Fogt, Jackson; Marita Gootee, Starkville; Philip R. Jackson, Oxford; David Lambert, Jackson; Annabelle Meacham, Senatobia; Christopher Miner, Jackson; Mathew Grant Puckett, Jackson; Lee Renninger, Gulfport; and Amanda Sparks, Jackson.

Lies, Damn Lies and ‘Dangerous' Rankings

Heard that Jackson is one of the "most dangerous" cities? Read the fine print.

More Trouble for Yazoo Pumps

Last week, environmental groups pounced on an August lawsuit filed by the Board of Mississippi Levee Commissioners over the federal rejection of a plan to drain the southern portion of the Mississippi Delta.

Latasha Willis

Today we honor one of our own: new JFP event listings editor Latasha Willis. The best way you can honor Latasha? Send your events calendars for the next three months to her by next Tuesday, Dec. 1 at [e-mail missing].

Hinds to Receive Federal Transportation Funds

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced yesterday that Hinds County will receive $1.425 million to replace pavement on Siwell Road. The road is a key link in the 18-mile corridor connecting the Interstate 20 Norrell Road interchange to the Interstate 55 Byram-Clinton corridor, according to a release.

Three JPS Schools Make Highest Grade

Three Jackson elementary schools received the state's highest rating according to new data released this morning by the Mississippi Department of Education. Those elementary schools, Power APAC, Davis Magnet and McWillie, received "Star School" ratings, the highest possible under the new state accountability system. All three schools are home to special programs or curricula: Power APAC houses a performing arts program, Davis Magnet offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program, and McWillie offers Montessori instruction.

New Breast Cancer Guidelines Spark Controversy

Last week, two separate groups released new recommendations regarding cancer screening for women. On Nov. 16 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force reversed decades of previous recommendations regarding mammograms to detect breast cancer. Then, on Nov. 20, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released their new guidelines for Pap smears, a procedure for detecting cervical cancer. Both sets of recommendations raise the age when women should begin getting tests, and increase the time between regular testing.

Ricky Moore

Ricky Moore will retire from his position as Hinds County's assistant director of emergency operations on Nov. 30. Moore, a Jackson native, has held the post for 20 years, and his retirement, which he announced Nov. 6, comes after he was passed over for promotion to the top spot with the county's Emergency Operations Center.

Public Meetings and Community Events This Week

4 p.m., Jackson/Hinds Library System Board of Trustees meets at the Eudora Welty Library (300 N. State St.). The trustees will discuss matters concerning the local library system. Free; call 601-968-5825.

MDE Releases New School Ratings

This morning, the Mississippi Department of Education released the details of its new public school ratings system, after more than two years. The MDE needed the new accountability model "to align with the State Board of Education's goals and a new, more rigorous curriculum implemented two years ago by the State Board," according to a release.

Ole Miss Students Social Networking Against Klan

The Mississippi White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan plans to protest the University of Mississippi's decision to drop a controversial pep song Saturday before the football game against Louisiana State University. In response, Ole Miss students of all races are using Facebook to organize opposition and counter-demonstrations.

Students Vent Outrage at Anti-Merger Rallies

Jackson State University students are organizing a rally on the steps of the State Capitol at 1 p.m. today in protest of Gov. Haley Barbour's recommendation to merge the state's three historically black colleges and universities.

The Gift of Fashion

On Saturday, Michelle Obama will meet Beyonce at the KenFolk Family Foundation's fashion show, "THEshow," to raise money for the Community Outreach for Social Awareness, an organization that provides free health screenings and education to the citizens of Madison, Hinds and Rankin Counties.

Marianne Hill

Dr. Marianne Hill, senior economist at the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, wants to see the status of women improve in Mississippi.

Happenings in Jackson This Weekend

If finding the perfect, one-of-a-kind holiday gift is what you're after, this is one weekend to get it done. Head to the Mississippi Trademart today until 6 p.m. today or tomorrow from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. for the annual Handworks Holiday Market. Admission is $5. If your tastes run more to a fabulous dinner and contributing to worthy causes, make sure to check out "A Taste of New York," tonight at the Fairview Inn. Along with food from seven top local chefs, you get wine, music, performance artists, carriage rides and more. $125 for dinner or $60 for the reception only; call 601-948-3429 (extension 316) for more info. Where's the best place to look when you're planning your weekend? Start with the JFP Best Bets page to find these events and more.

FBI Seeks Cold-Case Next of Kin

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is reassessing more than 100 unsolved civil rights era cold cases, and is searching for victims' next of kin to notify the families of their results, according to a release from the agency. In 33 of the cases, the FBI has not found next of kin, including 11 from the Jackson division, listed below.

IHL's Bounds: ‘We're in a Financial Crisis'

The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning heard some rotten numbers at this morning's IHL meeting. Gov. Haley Barbour recommended a flurry of budget reductions for the state's eight colleges and universities, spurring Higher Education Commissioner Hank Bounds to speak on the possibility of extreme cuts in university staffing, the elimination of some education programs and tuition hikes.

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