The Hunt for Vouchers in Mississippi, After All These Years
Republican leaders secretly slipped $2 million for a private-school voucher program into an unrelated funding bill—despite the fact that most Democrats and many Republicans opposed expanding the program.
Derek Augustus
Derek Augustus, who co-owns local recycling company Environmentality with Karissa Bowley, has always been interested in finding his creative eye, and designing and building things by hand, he says.
Poor Mississippi Counties Are Top IRS Targets in Hunt for Tax Cheats
A new study of IRS practices reveals a tale of two Mississippi counties, with one of the poorest in the state earning the top spot as the most audited in the country, while the second-wealthiest is Mississippi's least audited.
Reeves Skipping First Debate for Governor Despite Early End to Session
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican candidate for governor, will be a no-show at the party's first primary debate on Tuesday night.
Aaron Pelch
Millsaps College named head football coach Aaron Pelch as interim athletics director on Dec. 20, 2018, and he assumed his duties on Jan. 1, 2019.
Food Truck Festival, Miss Jackson Hospitality Pageant and Regions Financial Debates
The Mississippi Museum of Art recently announced that it will expand the hours for its sixth-annual Food Truck Festival on May 16 to include lunch service. Local food trucks will now be at the museum from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. for the event.
10 Local Stories of the Week
There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
GOP Leaders Trick House Into Sending $2 Million to Private Schools
Mississippi will use millions in taxpayer dollars to fund private schools after Republican leaders in the Legislature secretly slipped funds into a bill for state construction projects.
HCC Honors Gala, Tougaloo Gospel Explosion Musical and MSU International Film Festival
Hinds Community College's Utica campus hosted its Vice President's Scholarship and Hall of Honors Gala on Friday, March 29, at 7 p.m. at the Clyde Muse Center
Jackson Black Pages Plans Expo for Mississippi's Black-Owned Businesses
Chuck Patterson founded the Jackson Black Pages, which connects Jacksonians with black-owned local businesses through its website so they can put money back into their local communities.
Tyrone Jackson
Tyrone Jackson will become Mississippi Delta Community College's first African-American president and its ninth overall. Larry Nabors is retiring after six years as president.
Mississippi Senate Approves New Map to Boost Black Voting Power
Mississippi lawmakers are working to redraw the lines of a state senate district that two federal courts ruled dilutes black voting power.
Yolanda Ni
Yolanda Ni, an eighth-grader at Oak Grove Middle School in the Lamar County School District, won the 2019 Mississippi Spelling Bee on Tuesday, March 19, at the Mississippi Public Broadcasting Auditorium in Jackson.
Evolutions Beauty Bar, JXN Gumbo at Mantle and 52nd Annual Beth Israel Bazaar
Latarsha Ellis, a lifelong Jackson native who has worked as a cosmetologist and hair stylist for more than 20 years, will hold a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for her new salon, Evolutions Beauty Bar, on Friday, April 26.
John O'Neal Jr.
John O'Neal Jr., a civil-rights activist, playwright and actor who cofounded the Free Southern Theater and Junebug Productions, died of vascular disease on Feb. 15 in New Orleans. He was 78.
Michael Avenatti Defrauded Mississippi Bank, Prosecutors Charge
Michael Avenatti, the high-profile attorney who formerly represented Stormy Daniels, defrauded a Mississippi bank, federal prosecutors in California charged on Monday.
Teacher Pay in Limbo as Mississippi Senate Balks at $4,000 Raise
The fate of a bill that could grant Mississippi's public-school teachers a $4,000 pay raise over a two-year period remained uncertain Monday morning as lawmakers from both chambers of the state Legislature worked to reach an agreement.
10 Local Stories of the Week
There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
Voting Rights Act Denied Mississippi Its 'Sovereignty,' AG Candidate Says
At a Tupelo campaign stop on Monday, Mississippi State Rep. Mark Baker, a Republican candidate for attorney general, said the 1965 Voting Rights Act violated Mississippi's "sovereignty."
Mississippi Library Partnership, UM Tobacco-Free Grant and MSU Ragtime and Jazz Festival
Hinds Community College President Clyde Muse and Mississippi State University President Mark Keenum signed an agreement on Wednesday, March 20, to join the Mississippi Library Partnership.
Mississippi Senate Calls for Constitutional Convention, Raising Civil Rights Concerns
Civil-rights protections could be "rolled back" if Mississippi joins a conservative group's effort to amend the U.S. Constitution, a prominent civil-rights organization is warning.
Gov. Bryant Signs Abortion Ban in Deadliest State for Babies
With Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves at his side, Republican Gov. Phil Bryant signed the nation's most restrictive abortion bill into law on Thursday morning.
City Council Approves Dart-Like GPS Launchers for Police Cruisers
The Jackson City Council recently approved the use of the StarChase system, which allows police cruisers to shoot GPS tracking devices that stick to fleeing suspects' vehicles, to cut down on the number of dangerous high-speed police chases in the city.
Abby Trahan
Junior pitcher Abby Trahan is enjoying a strong start in her first season with the University of Southern Mississippi softball team.
‘Why Can’t I Break That Barrier?’: The JFP Interview with AG Hopeful Jennifer Riley Collins
During our afternoon interview with Jennifer Riley Collins in downtown Jackson, she explained why she believes she is up to the momentous task of becoming the first African American woman ever to win a statewide office, and what she believes she can bring to the attorney general's office.
Legislative Update: Fetal Heartbeats, Teacher Pay, Tort Reform
Daniella Dismuke-Roja is an activist who is challenging laws that she believes threaten the rights of Mississippians. On March 14, she traveled to Jackson and joined a group of Democratic state legislators and Planned Parenthood activists to protest the state's fetal heartbeat bill.
John Spann
When Mississippi Civil Rights Museum Curator of Education John Spann was in high school, history came easy to him. "It wasn't like geometry or anything, and I got it," he says.
City to Launch Pre-K Pilot Program With Grant From the Kellogg Foundation
Mayor Chokwe Lumumba announced on March 18 that the City is receiving grant funds from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for a pre-k pilot program dubbed Ready To Learn.
UMMC/FirstNet Partnership, Gulf Seafood Outlet and Vitality Bowls
Greg Adams, a former conductor for the Canadian National Railroad who retired in 2016, opened his own seafood market, Gulf Seafood Outlet, in Jackson in September 2018.
Second Woman to Lead Tougaloo College After First Retires After 17 Years
Tougaloo College Board of Trustees Chairman Wesley F. Prater named Carmen J. Walters as the 14th president of the institution on Monday, March 18.
Blogs
- Boil Water Lifted for Most Jackson ZIPs
- City Responds to Hinds County Emergency Declaration
- ZDD Giveaways and Festival on Mar 25, but No Parade
- Casino-Mogul Trump Going Against the Odds With 'Muslim Ban'
- Millsaps Issues Statement on Trump's Immigration Order
- Court Denies Attempts to Dismiss Election Complaint for "Straw Contest"
- Roll-Off Dumpster Day on February 4
- City: Court Rules Rankin Can Build Own Wastewater Treatment Plant
- LaDarion Ammons Announces Run for Ward 7 Council Seat
- Tornado Warning for Central Hinds, NE Rankin, Madison Counties
Video
- Gov. Reeves Answers Nick Judin's Questions
- Chris McDaniel on Morning Joe
- Word on the street: What would you like to see come to Jackson?
- Trump Rally
- Trump Rally
- More Trump Rally Footage
- Trump Rally
- Kameron Palmer On Saving Our Sons
- Joel D. Swan On Saving Our Sons
- Attorney Martin Perkins Speaks for Inmates