News

Karen Parker

Before Byron Knight opened Sneaky Beans coffee shop on North State Street in Fondren, just about a year ago, the little house was home to Karen Parker's store, New Vibrations, for more than four years. The aroma of coffee has now replaced the scent of incense, but for the former denizens of Parker's store, the space will always have a slightly purple tint to it.

Swine Flu Vaccine Injections Available

The Mississippi Department of Health has received an injectable version of the Swine Flu vaccine, reports WXVT. Spokeswoman Liz Sharlot said the state took delivery of 60,000 doses of the new vaccine in addition to the 69,000 doses of the nasal spray version already being distributed.

Mississippi Farmers Could See 100 Percent Crop Losses

The Mississippi State Fair isn't the only thing suffering because of the state's run of bad weather. The state is considering declaring entire Mississippi counties disaster areas because of enormous farming losses due to weather, said Mississippi Department of Agriculture spokesman Andy Prosser.

Hinds Supes Go to Executive Session on Detention Center

Hinds County Supervisors considered adopting a memorandum of understanding with a youth justice advocacy organization at a board meeting this morning. The proposed memorandum, which the board discussed in a closed executive session, would establish acceptable staff-to-youth ratios at the Henley-Young Youth Detention Center, mandate exercise time for youth detainees, and limit the center staff's use of restraints and physical force.

Dr. James Bowley

"I love my job!" proclaims Dr. James E. Bowley on his Web site. Bowley, an associate professor in the Millsaps College department of religious studies, teaches courses on the Bible and related religious traditions: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. "What's not to like about spending the day with great colleagues and students thinking and conversing and researching about religious traditions, reading beautiful or even shocking texts, and investigating intriguing religious practices?" he writes.

Community Events and Public Meetings This Week

Raise the Roof, Oct. 19-23, at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.). The Jackson Medical Mall Foundation prepares the homes of four senior citizens in the community for the cold weather. To volunteer, call 601-982-8467 ext 21.

Fair Extended Through Today

With attendance nearly rained out during the regular run of the Mississippi State Fair, organizers extended the run on Friday, hoping to make up some of their expected revenue. Attendance today, Oct. 19, is discounted, with parking, rides and foods priced at $2.

School Proponents Urge Budget Cut Restraint

UPDATED: October 16, 2009

Education advocates are urging Gov. Haley Barbour to resist making further cuts to the state's education budget in response to revenue shortfalls yesterday. Barbour warned this week that more budget cuts will be likely in fiscal year 2010 and again in 2011, and asked department heads to prepare for smaller budgets next year.

Supreme Court: Fairview Illegally Zoned

The Mississippi Supreme Court refused to revisit its August decision regarding a four-star bed and breakfast in Jackson. The court had earlier decided that the city of Jackson had illegally spot-zoned the property for the Fairview Inn, on Fairview Street in Belhaven, allowing the placement of a business in a residentially zoned area in the affluent north section. The court decided not to reconsider that decision with a 6-to-3 vote.

Linda Francomb

When Linda Francomb's daughter, Heather Spencer, was brutally murdered by her boyfriend Sept. 11, 2007, Francomb could have chosen to spend her days wallowing in grief; no one could have blamed her. Instead, the tragedy galvanized her to get busy, doing what she could to save other women from her daughter's fate.

What To Do This Weekend

Looks like we may have seen the last of the summer heat, and the rain may finally be clearing out. Saturday will be a great day to grab a sweater and finally get to the Mississippi State Fair if you haven't gone, yet. But tonight, kick off the weekend by taking in a movie with the Crossroads Film Society's Global Lens Series at the Mississippi Museum of Art. If you'd rather spend the evening where you can do the most good, head to the Jackson Convention Complex for the Mississippi Center for Justice annual "Champions of Justice" dinner at 6 p.m., or to Clinton for the annual Pink Ribbon Gala to benefit the American Cancer Society at 7 p.m. Find the details on the JFP Best Bets page.

Funds Available for Home Heating

For Mississippians who need assistance heating their homes this winter, federal funds are available to help those eligible pay their gas and electric bills through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, administered through the Mississippi Department of Human Services.

Johnson: Test Scores Reflect Education Funding

Mississippi NAACP President Derrick Johnson blames legislators for the state's low rank in a national summary of elementary school math grades. "The Nation's Report Card: Mathematics 2009," released yesterday, outlines achievements of fourth- and eighth-graders on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics test, administered by the U.S. Department of Education. The report compares national results in 2009 with prior assessments, and concluded that the state of Mississippi hit rock bottom, second to last behind the District of Columbia, with few improvements among the children tested.

Jackson Police Putting Focus on Property Crime

Assistant Police Chief Lee Vance called on Jackson police to concentrate on property crimes in the city, noting at a meeting today that the Jackson Police Department has a "realistic chance" of finishing the year with an overall crime reduction from last year.

Quentin Whitwell

Quentin Whitwell, 37, is a local political advisor and the go-to guy for many campaigns in the state. He co-founded the largely Republican government-relations firm The Talon Group in 2004, along with political strategist and former Jackson City Councilman Chip Reno. Jackson law firm Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes acquired The Talon Group last year, and Whitwell is now a senior government-relations advisor at the law firm.

Bus Drivers Fighting for Contract Improvements

School bus drivers in Hinds, Madison, Clay and Yazoo counties are negotiating for better wages to bring them up from the lowest levels in the area. The drivers, employees of First Student are members of the Teamsters Union. Currently, their wages start at about $9.25 an hour, which is $3 an hour less than drivers receive in neighboring areas, reports Reuters.

Jewish Organization Asks City to Block Holocaust Denier

UPDATED October 14, 2009

The American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants sent an e-mail to the Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. last night asking him to bar Holocaust refuter David Irving from speaking at City Hall on Oct. 21.

Navy Going Green

U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus says the Navy will go "green" in the next few years. Mabus appeared at the Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial Symposium Lecture Series Friday at the Jackson State University Student Center, where he surprised Myrlie Evers-Williams, the wife of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, with the announcement that he was naming a 700-foot naval supply ship in her husband's honor.

STEPS: Barbour's Good Idea?

A new Mississippi program that will use federal welfare funds to help hire new employees has many policy analysts excited. The Subsidized Transitional Employment Program and Services, or STEPS Program, which Gov. Haley Barbour announced Sept. 15, uses the state's $43 million share of the welfare funds in the stimulus package to subsidize the cost of hiring 3,500 new full-time employees for private businesses across the state. The state will cover the full cost of hiring a new employee for the first two months of employment and then gradually decrease its contribution over six months.

Arthur Jones

Twice a month, Arthur Jones, 34, dons his overalls and gets down to business. With a pocket designated for his thermometer, and using tools he forged himself, he lights the grill.

Baptist Hospital Gets Top National Ratings

HealthGrades, a leading independent health care rating organization, has awarded Jackson's Baptist Medical Center more five-star ratings than any hospital in Mississippi, and ranks the center among the top 10 percent in the nation for vascular surgery, and gastrointestinal surgery and care.

BREAKING: Jackson 11th Best City For Small Business

The Jackson Free Press has just learned that Fortune Small Business has named Jackson a "best place to launch" a small business. Jackson ranks 11th on the magazine's list of mid-size American cities, which it released online today. JFP reporter Ward Schaefer contributed the profile of Jackson and local entrepreneur Devereaux Galloway, CEO and founder of Solar Power of Mississippi.

Medical Mall Aids Seniors With ‘Raise the Roof'

The Jackson Medical Mall will provide new roofs and other much-needed home repairs to four Jackson senior citizens through its fall "Raise the Roof" campaign. With seniors making up 65 percent of the city's residents, the initiative provides repairs too expensive for those on fixed incomes, allowing seniors to keep the homes they have worked all of their lives to own.

You Tell Us!

In honor of this week's special ode to the onerous '80s, today's Person of the Day is a JFP staffer pictured here when he was a strapping young Jacksonian, complete with gold chain and muscle shirt. Can you tell who this is? Hint: He's winning a big award Wednesday night in Jackson.

State Tops in Providing Healthy Foods

The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta have named Mississippi one of the top states in the country for providing healthy, nutritious foods in secondary schools. The CDC report, "Profiles 2008," looked at characteristics of health programs in secondary schools, including health education, physical education, health services, health and safe school environments, and family and community involvement.

Holocaust Denier Appearing in City Hall?

Holocaust refuter David Irving will appear in Jackson City Hall Oct. 21, according to attorney Richard Barrett, of Learned, Miss. Barrett, a self-avowed white separatist, sent out an e-mail this morning promising that Irving would appear in City Hall at 6 p.m. that day, in addition to the radio shows of Kim Wade, Charles Evers and Paul Gallo. City spokesman Chris Mims said today, though, the city has received a request to book Irving on that date, but has not yet confirmed a scheduling.

GO Zone Deadlines Coming and Going

Local governments in southern and central Mississippi must begin using federal funds for disaster recovery by the end of the year, according to Gov. Haley Barbour. Barbour recently sent a letter to the 39 cities and counties that received a combined $41 million in GO Zone Community Revitalization grants, setting a Jan. 1 deadline for projects to start.

Kristen Thigpen

Before accepting her new job with the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Kristen Thigpen didn't personally know anyone who had been a victim of intimate partner abuse. Since she took the job Oct. 1, she's been researching the issue, which has opened her eyes. "I always had a heart for abused women," she says about taking her new job. "I didn't actually know how common the problem really is. I was really shocked. ... It's really breathtaking."

Public Meetings and Community Events

Monday, Oct. 12

69th Annual Beauty Professional Association Meeting Oct 10-13, at the Clarion Hotel (5075 Interstate 55 S.). Manufacturers and vendors will be on hand in the Exhibitor Hall. The President of the National Beauty Culturists League, Dr. Katie Catalon, is the keynote speaker for awards banquet. Call 877-588-6422.

Unclaimed Property Booth Set Up at Fair

One of the more unusual booths at this year's Mississippi State Fair is the one manned by the state treasurer's office. Staffers at the Unclaimed Property Booth, located inside the Trademart building, will attempt to match residents with more than $45 million in unclaimed funds.

Ellington