All results / Stories / Lacey McLaughlin
Follow us on Election Night
When the polls close tomorrow, the Jackson Free Press news team will hit the election-night parties and provide real-time coverage at Jacksonfreepress.com and Twitter. For live updates follow:
JPS Budget Full of Unknowns
With all the attention surrounding Superintendent Lonnie Edwards' departure from Jackson Public Schools last week, one could be forgiven for missing the district's budget passage for the 2011-2012 school year.
Belhaven Park Wins Award; Hinds Branding Meetings Set
During its annual awards ceremony June 28, the Mississippi Main Street Association named Belhaven Park the best public-private project is the state.
Start Moving
It's hard to describe the freedom that comes with not relying on a car for transportation, because for many people this means just the opposite. Last week a group of about 25 progressive Jacksonians participated in an experiment called carLESS week.
[McLaughlin] Lovers Unite
The people who go out of their way to make life better for others inspire me. With Valentine's Day approaching, we should celebrate our lovenot only for each other, but our love for our city. Let's strive to see the bigger picture, especially when pettiness comes between us. I've learned that it's our setbacks that make success and victory sweet.
Kicking It Up
I have a confession; lately I haven't been living in the moment. Here at the JFP we have a million ideas and staff members who work insanely hard because of their commitment to doing good work. I think all of us struggle with the fact that there are only so many hours in the day that keep us from implementing all those great ideas.
Whip It Good
Every year for Halloween, I struggle when it come to finding the perfect costume. Instead of dressing up as an oversexed nurse or pop star, I've always found it a challenge to dress up as a woman I actually agree with.
City May Help Fund Convention Center Hotel
The city could enter a cost-sharing agreement with developers of the Capital City Center, a mixed-use development project on four blocks of Pascagoula Street that will include a convention center hotel, Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. confirmed today.
Council to Vote on Hotel Financing With Few Details Public
Read the resolution (PDF, 344 KB)
Barbour Blames Media for Toyota Woes
In 2007—before the economy tanked—Mississippi lawmakers and Gov. Haley Barbour approved a $293.9 million incentive package to persuade Toyota Motor Corp. to build a factory in Blue Springs, Miss., near Tupelo. Proposed improvements to the 1,700-acre site plan include infrastructure upgrades to water and sewer lines, and new roads.
Empowerment and Heritage
Fifteen-year-old Elijah Jamison stood somberly behind a table decorated with a red, black and green African flag as he lit a candle in honor of kujichagulia—Swahili for the Kwanzaa principle of self-determination.
Whitney Place to Rebuild Fondren
Watkins Partners Developer David Watkins says he plans to move ahead with his plans to tear down a 1938 business strip in Fondren, recently used as a movie set in "The Help," to create space for his proposed multi-use development, rather than pursue historic tax credits to renovate the block. The developer says keeping the strip would not be economically viable, despite questions about the buildings' historic value.
Judge Rules in Favor of Personhood Amendment
Read the ruling (PDF)
An initiative asking voters to decide if the state Constitution should define when life begins can be placed on the 2011 ballot, Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Malcolm Harrison ruled today.
Creating Synergy
As Wes Holsapple II walks through the soon-to-be filled offices on the second floor of the Regions Plaza building on Thanksgiving eve, his mind is far from turkey and stuffing. As the executive director of the Venture Incubator, he is focused on creating a hub to help small business owners flourish.
‘Massive' Pre-Existing Condition
Since the age of 2, Madeleine Kelly-Kellogg, now 7, has gone through three surgeries to remove a benign brain tumor. After the first surgery Madeleine lost all ability to function on the right side OF her body and underwent two months of therapy to learn how to walk and speak again.
Demand Up, Money Down
Despite seeing an increased demand for library services, Jackson-Hinds Library System Executive Director Carolyn McCallum said it will struggle to maintain services and hours for Jackson residents in the upcoming budget year.
‘I Am Emmett Till'
Hank Thomas knew he was going to die. He only questioned how. As the Ku Klux Klan attacked and bombed the bus he was riding through Anniston, Ala., with 12 other Freedom Riders challenging Jim Crow laws, Thomas decided he would rather suffocate than get off the bus and allow the Klan to beat him to death.
Convention Hotel Waits on Financing
It's been a little over a month since the Jackson Redevelopment Authority passed a resolution to issue up to $95 million in bonds for the proposed convention center hotel complex, but the project's developers are still trying to get a financial structure in place for the development to move forward.
U.S. Food Bill Spares Small Farmers
Mike Steede, owner of Steede farms in Lucedale, Miss., took over the farm his family has operated for the past 150 years after he retired from teaching agriculture at the Mississippi State Extension Service last year. In May, he formed a Community Supported Agriculture program, which delivers in-season fruit and vegetables weekly to 36 members from his 40-acre farm.
Personhood Initiative Approved for 2011 Ballot
The Mississippi Secretary of State's office approved an initiative today for the 2011 ballot asking voters to decide whether the constitution should designate that life begins at fertilization.