News

Wyatt Waters

The Mississippi Arts Commission has announced that Clinton artist and area favorite Wyatt Waters, known statewide for his watercolor paintings, will receive a 2010 Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. The award honors five artists each year in the performing, visual and literary arts throughout the state. Past recipients include Eudora Welty, Bill Dunlap and Dr. Samuel Gore.

Judges Order Two Off Mississippi Death Row

In separate cases, federal judges have ruled that two Mississippi inmates on death row in Parchman are mentally ill. Both cases stem from 1981 crimes, and the two inmates have each served 27 years.

Consolidation: The Same Old Story?

The issue of school consolidation is popping up in anticipation of another cash-strapped legislative session. Calls for merging some of the state's 152 public-school districts aren't new in lean budget years, despite a lack of evidence of its value.

National HIV/AIDS Town Hall Comes to Jackson

The White House Office of National AIDS Policy selected 14 cities for community discussions to develop and implement a national HIV/AIDS strategy. Among the stops is Jackson on Monday, Nov. 16.

Beth Poff

Beth Poff laughs her best laugh as she ponders the question, "What do you do in your spare time?"

Why Foreign Businesses Dig Mississippi

The state of Mississippi currently has 30,231 businesses that count as foreign-owned, or are owned by corporations, LLCs, unlimited liability partners or other business organizations. The list includes companies such as Calgon Carbon from New Zealand, Rolls-Royce and BP America Production from Britain, and MG Industries from Germany, among many others.

Independent Woman

Peggy Calhoun's office in the Hinds County Circuit Court building has a big window overlooking Pascagoula Street and Jackson's City Hall. It's a privileged perch. Most of her fellow Hinds County supervisors have offices across the street in the County Chancery Court building. That distance is fitting for a woman who prizes her independence.

President Obama's Speech at Fort Hood Memorial (Transcript)

Yesterday, President Obama spoke at a memorial for the Americans murdered at Fort Hood last week. In honor of the victims, and all veterans today, here are his comments, verbatim:

Smoking Ban Results in Fewer Heart Attacks

While many Jackson citizens have yet to see the health benefits of a smoking ban enacted by the city last February, the city of Starkville, which banned smoking in 2006, is seeing a payback for the decision in better health. In a study released Monday, Starkville showed a marked reduction in heart attacks, down 27 percent, in the past three years, reports NEMS360.

PSC Moving to Next Fight on $2.4B Coal Plant

The Public Service Commission announced a unanimous agreement to continue hearings into the need for a new $2.4 billion coal plant in Kemper County. "The Public Service Commission finds that Mississippi Power Company (MPCO) has demonstrated that public convenience and necessity requires or will require additional generating capacity and energy as early as 2014. Further, after a review of the entire record, the commission notes that the record contains no credible evidence to support a finding that MPCO has no need or that this commission should not proceed to Phase two of these proceedings," Commissioner Lynn Posey wrote in a release Monday.

Dem Support for Power Grab Not Likely, Holland Says

Joint Legislative Budget Committee member Steve Holland, D-Plantersville, says House Democrats will not readily agree to hand Gov. Haley Barbour more power to personally cut the state budget. "We're likely to give the governor that kind of authority on the same day we'll agree to consolidating the school districts and universities and reorganizing government," Holland said.

Justin Vaughn

Justin Vaughn, a 26-year-old designer, is the founder of Jackson-area T-shirt screen-printing company, Unik Ink, pronounced "unique" ink. A lifelong resident of Madison, Vaughn graduated from the University of Mississippi in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in art, emphasizing graphic design. He learned his trade during college working as a designer for a screen-printing company.

Free Flu Meds Available

The Mississippi State Department of Health is making antiviral medications available to uninsured and underinsured patients. In an agreement with selected pharmacies, the department is offering Tamiflu and Relenza from state stockpiles to Mississippians who can't afford them.

Levee Board Pushs Corps on Lakes Plans, Again

At a meeting this morning, the Levee Board again pushed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to justify the $4 million the Corps has said it will cost just to revisit the feasibility and costs of two controversial Lakes plans it says are unlikely to happen.

Hood Fights Cyber Crime, Online Predators

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood continued his efforts to combat cyber crime today, unveiling an Internet safety video created in collaboration with Comcast Cable. The video, which will be available to Comcast subscribers and on the attorney general's Web site, is aimed at parents and children.

Public Meetings and Community Events This Week

Nov. 9 and 10, Southern Hospitality Conference at the Hilton Jackson (1001 E. County Line Rd.). The Mississippi Hotel and Lodging Association hosts this annual conference for the tourism and lodging industries in the state. Call 228-436-0630.

Roy Wheat

Some of the most honorable and selfless men and women in our country's history have served in the armed services. Mississippian Roy Wheat entered this category with a heroic, selfless act during the Vietnam War.

Ida Weakens to Tropical Storm

This morning, the National Hurricane Center downgraded Ida from a hurricane to a tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph. The late season gulf storm was off the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle as of 9 a.m., and is moving north and east at roughly 17 mph.

BREAKING: Health Care Reform Passes U.S. House 220-215

One Republican joined 219 Democratic members of the U.S. Congress minutes ago to pass H.R. 3962 to reform health care in America. Rep. Joseph Cao, of the 2nd District of Louisiana joined Democrats to pass the legislation. A cheer went up in the chambers when the 218th vote was cast by Rep. John Dingell, a Democrat of Michigan's 15th District. Thirty-nine Democrats voted against the legislaiton.

Protesters Demand Epps Stop Inmate Abuse

Members of the Southeastern Christian Association, Operation Help Civil Rights Group, and Mothers of Inmates protested outside Mississippi Department of Corrections headquarters on President Street in Jackson today, lobbying for fair treatment of sons and husbands who are inmates in MDOC correctional facilities.

JFP People of the Day: Barbara Taylor and Jerry Mosley

Barbara Taylor and Jerry Mosley are walking together this weekend. Tomorrow, Taylor will lead a team from the Community Services Department of the Mississippi State Hospital in NAMIWalks, a benefit for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Here's What's Happening this Weekend

Two words for this weekend: Mistletoe Marketplace. If you haven't even begun to think about the upcoming holidays, this annual event presented by the Jackson Junior League will get you so psyched for everything Christmas that you just might sit on Santa's lap this year. It's happening at the Mississippi Trademart and closes at 7 p.m. Saturday. For more information, see the JFP Best Bets page.

New Look, New Name for Downtown Restaurant

Suniora Page bounced back from bad luck to a new career. After being laid off from her job as a manager at the Nissan plant in Canton in October 2008, Page took a job as a cashier at Miller's Grocery in the City Centre building downtown. When she heard that the owners were looking to sell the location, she decided to make the leap to ownership and purchased the restaurant.

Attorney General Info Initiative Launched

In an effort to have Mississippi residents understand the resources available to them through his office, Attorney General Jim Hood announced a statewide educational initiative yesterday.

GOP Senators Agree to Unemployment Extension

After a days-long stand off, U.S. Senate Republicans agreed to unanimously support extending unemployment and homebuyers' credits yesterday.

Police Search for Suspect in Rash of Auto Burglaries

Jackson's Precinct 4 saw a rash of auto burglaries last week. Violent crime, however, remains down in the city.

Bill Chandler

Bill Chandler, executive director and founder of Jackson-based Mississippi Immigrants Rights Alliance, does not let being 68 stop him from doing good. He is an advocate for immigrant rights throughout the state of Mississippi. For this work, he was named a 2009 Purpose Prize Fellow, an award for entrepreneurs over 60 who use their experience to tackle society's biggest challenges in second careers started in the second half of life.

Toys for Tots Registration This Weekend

The City of Jackson and the U.S. Marine Corps has announced its annual child signup for the coming holiday season. Registration will be held at the Jackson Medical Mall near the Subway Sandwich Shop (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Drive) on Saturday, Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 8 from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.

JFP INDEX: VIP White Jackson

The November 2009 edition of The Clarion-Ledger's now-shrunken VIP Jackson Magazine is a study in how (not) to publish an extremely white publication in a majority-black metroby a company that supposedly prides itself on media diversity.

Going Rogue

On his county-provided laptop, Phil Fisher has replaced the standard mouse icon with a sword. A former Marine and a current brigadier general in the Mississippi Army National Guard, Fisher has a bit of the warrior in him, and his stint on the Hinds County Board of Supervisors has been marked by vocal opposition to many of the board's actions.

Ellington