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Self Defense or Murder?
Edna Mae Sanders first met former Navy Seal Sherman Sanders at a Baton Rouge party in March 2005. She gave him her phone number, and it wasn't long before he began surprising her with gifts and driving from New Orleans to see her on weekends.
Farish: Must ‘Make a Profit'
Jackson developer David Watkins seemed to quell concerns when he presented a list of tenants for the long-awaited $100 million Farish Street Entertainment District project during a public presentation last week. The developer still needs approximately $13 million to complete construction, however, for businesses to actually open.
Family Files Wrongful Death Suit
Morris Dees is not singling out Mississippi in his organization's efforts to seek justice for an alleged hate murder of James Craig Anderson because he was black.
Advocates Gear up For Personhood Battle
Anti-abortion advocates celebrated a Mississippi Supreme Court ruling last week that OK'd a Nov. 8 ballot initiative asking voters whether the state Constitution should define when life begins, but the battles over the proposed amendment are far from over.
Hotel Study Not Public, Yet
The public can't see a recently commissioned study on the proposed convention center hotel yet because the figures need revisions, the Jackson Redevelopment Authority Board Project Committee determined yesterday.
Convention Hotel: Linchpin or Boondoggle?
A convention center and accompanying hotel may seem like a foolproof economic tool for many cities trying to boost tax revenue by bringing visitors to their downtown area. The idea is that if you build it, tourists will simply come to the city eager to spend their disposable income.
Hood vs. Simpson
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood, a Democrat, and his Republican opponent Steve Simpson accused each other last week of conflicts of interest.
‘Disparity' Study Call Disrupts Session
Percy Watson knew that getting the Mississippi Legislature to fund a disparity study was a long shot, but he had hoped it would somehow make it through the Republican-majority Senate last week. The House Ways and Means Chairman's measure, however, ultimately failed, with Gov. Haley Barbour indicating that he would veto the bill if it came to his desk with the disparity study, Watson said.
Teen Births Have High Cost
Instead of focusing on emotions, the Women's Fund of Mississippi is highlighting the cost of teen births to advocate for comprehensive sex-education in the state's public schools. Last week, the organization released the study, "Do You Know What You're Spending On Teen Pregnancy in Mississippi?" showing that the state's high teen birth rate costs taxpayers $155 million each year.
Doing it For Jackson
In spring 2010, Grady Griffin received an urgent phone call from Craig Noone. A large oak tree had fallen in Greenwood Cemetery, close to Eudora Welty's grave.
The Convention Hotel Race
City leaders are racing the clock to make a decision by the end of this month on whether to finance a convention center hotel.
Debt Ceiling Debate Hits Home
Jackson City Councilwoman Margaret Barrett-Simon expressed concern this week over what Congress' debt ceiling debate will mean for the council's decision to restructure its bond debt.
Hosemann vs. Dems?
Members of the state's Democratic Party claim they were sideswiped Aug. 16 when Republican Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann issued a press release that the party had failed to file election results from the Aug. 2 primary, which were due Aug. 12.
JRA Hires Consultant for Convention Hotel
By the end of this month, city leaders should have an independent study to determine whether the city of Jackson should help finance a long-awaited convention center hotel.
Getting it Right
Jannette White, 51, has lived on the same plot of land on Smith Robinson Street in the Virden Addition for the majority of her life. In 1987, White built a house next to her mother's house so that she could be her caretaker. Her mother died in 2006.
Budget Wars Whimper to a Close
The Jackson City Council's approval of a 75-cent per hour raise for city employees making less than $17,000 per year may not make it into the city's final budget for fiscal-year 2012, which starts Oct. 1.
A Fair Policy?
If you serve at the will and pleasure of an elected official in Hinds County or the state, you have signed on for a job without protection if you are fired.
Council Spars with Mayor on Budget
Jackson City Council members and Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. are caught in a power struggle over passing the city's budget for fiscal year 2012.
Will Killing Legislators' Perks Work?
If elected governor, Bill Luckett says he will end the states' Supplemental Legislative Retirement Program and use those savings to fund education.
Keeping Kids Off the Streets
Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. and the Jackson City Council are advocating for a facility in the city to house minors who are not serious offenders as a solution to curbing teen violence this week.