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School Cuffs Kids for No Belt, Wrong Shoes
One morning this spring, a boy showed up at school without his belt. He forgot it at home. The 16-year-old walked up to the metal detector that all the students at Capital City Alternative School have to go through. School officials inspected their shoes and belts before the students could go to class.
Chicken of the Day: Jane Hen
The people at PETA are no chickens. Members of the Norfolk, Va.-based organization escorted their "crippled chicken"--another PETA member clad in a chicken suit and toting a cane--across the street to and from the McDonald's at 1010 N. State St. yesterday in a bold attempt to garner attention to the restaurant chain's alleged use of animal cruelty.
House Polarizing, Report Card Says
The Mississippi House of Representatives is becoming as politically polarized as the Mississippi Senate, says political and community activist Rims Barber. Barber released a 2011 political report card grading legislators based on their votes for up to 10 progressive bills that writhed their way through the 2011 legislative session before it adjourned this month.
‘It's Like A Dream': Scott Sisters Celebrate Freedom
Also see: Let My Daughters Go
JATRAN's Convenience Factor
"Don't let it be gone already," I repeated to myself, like a mantra, whizzing down State Street to meet photographer Amile Wilson. I'd spent a little more time than I'm willing to admit trying to figure the schedule out. "This seemed a lot easier in Chicago," I mumbled.
Whitwell: Move Forward on Sales Tax
Referring to himself as a "tell-it-like-it-is politician," Ward 1 Jackson City Councilman Quentin Whitwell told community members this morning that the makeup of a commission to oversee Jackson's proposed 1-percent sales-tax increase should not stop Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. from moving forward.
Sales-Tax Commission Needed for Jackson?
City leaders have only one major request this legislative session, but that doesn't mean they'll get it. Jackson lawmakers are pushing to revise a 2009 sales-tax bill that offered a stream of funding for public safety and improvements to the city's flagging road, water and sewer infrastructure. The bill came with a requirement that the city establish a commission--stocked with non-city appointees--to oversee spending of the money, a mandate that Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. rejected as too onerous.
A.M.E. Logan
Remaining fearless and determined even into her late 90s, civil rights activist A.M.E. Logan would frequently attend community meetings and drive herself around Jackson delivering Avon products to her clients.
Ruth's Chris Employee Fired Over E-Mail
The general manager of Ruth's Chris Steak House in Ridgeland has been fired, following an e-mail exchange in which he used the word "ghetto" to describe a reservation request by an African American woman. The manager, Andy Nesenson, forwarded LaTrenda Watson's Jan. 11 reservation request to Sales and Marketing Manager Wendy Partain with the comment, "Another ghetto Sat. Party. They really love us don't they. Especially on Sat."
Court Stops Simon Execution
Robert Simon Jr., 47, gets to live a little bit longer on death row. The state of Mississippi planned to kill him May 24, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stopped the execution just hours before the scheduled time.
Jackson Schools Show Decline
See the MDE report.
Puppy Mills, JATRAN, Power Savings Before Council
The city will restrict roadside animal sales after a 6-to-0 vote in favor of a new ordinance today.
Civil Rights Museum Stirs Controversy, Again
State lawmakers will have a chance to act on Gov. Haley Barbour's recent call to move a proposed state civil-rights museum to downtown Jackson. Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, told the Jackson Free Press Friday that he will introduce bills today to restart the planning process for a civil-rights museum, which has stalled since a Barbour-appointed commission selected Tougaloo College for its location in 2008.
Bryan Opposes Jackson's Sales-Tax Increase
Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, said he could not support a 1-cent sales-tax increase in Jackson to fund infrastructure repairs because the tax is too regressive, costing low-income residents proportionally more than those with higher incomes.
Council Concerned over JPS Superintendent
Ward 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes made a rare visit to the Monday work session yesterday to throw his support behind Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Lonnie Edwards, who is up for an evaluation from the school board tomorrow.
Arizona-Style Immigration Bill Advances, In A Hurry
The Mississippi Senate passed a bill modeled after Arizona's anti-immigrant law SB 1070 today, despite protests by some Democrats that the measure was rife with errors carried over from the other state's law.
Jackson Addiction Treatment Facility to Close
A Jackson alcohol and drug treatment facility that houses approximately 28 patients without insurance or ability to pay for treatment is expected to close its doors tomorrow.
State Has Highest Rate of Unbanked
Limited use of traditional banks threatens the ability of Mississippi's working class to improve its economic situation, a report released yesterday says. The report, issued by the Mississippi Economic Policy Center and the Foundation for the Mid South, finds that Mississippi has the highest percentage of "unbanked" households in the country.
Beneta Burt
Beneta Burt knows it can be a challenge to change people's behaviors when it comes to healthy living. As project director for the Mississippi Roadmap to Health Equity, Burt promotes systemic, incremental solutions and programs to help fight obesity in the state.
Ice Enters Jackson's Ward 1 Race
At 4 p.m. yesterday, an hour before the city's deadline for Ward 1 city council candidates to file for the Feb. 15 special election, Attorney L. Patricia Ice submitted her paperwork to run for the seat vacated by Jeff Weill.