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Aerospace Alliance Draws Fire From Unions
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour's support for an aerospace jobs initiative among Gulf Coast states puts him at odds, with a familiar opponent: labor unions. On Oct. 26, Barbour joined his fellow Republican governors from Louisiana and Alabama in announcing the Aerospace Alliance, a non-profit collaboration between the three states aimed at bringing aerospace manufacturing and supplier jobs to the Gulf Coast.
‘Fresh Air' Returning to MPB
Mississippi Public Broadcasting is reinstating the nationally-syndicated radio program "Fresh Air," two weeks after its decision to cancel the show for "inappropriate content" drew widespread criticism. In a statement released today, Executive Director Judy Lewis said that MPB would return "Fresh Air" to its radio schedule on Aug. 2 in a new, 9 p.m. time slot. MPB will also air notices that the show may include adult content, Lewis said.
Bill Luckett
Clarksdale attorney Bill Luckett has confirmed that he will run for the Mississippi governor's seat in 2011. Luckett told the Mississippi Business Journal yesterday that he will formally announce his candidacy sometime in the spring, but that he has moved beyond merely considering a run. A staffer at Luckett's political action committee, Progress for Mississippi, confirmed Luckett's candidacy to the Jackson Free Press today.
City Eyes Open-Government Technology
Jackson doesn't have a reputation for being a particularly tech-savvy place, but this fall, city government will begin changing that image. City hall is poised to adopt two new technologies that will--hopefully--improve the efficiency and responsiveness of the city's police, fire and public works departments, among others.
JPS to Cut Jobs, Fill Classrooms
State budget cuts this year and next will force the Jackson Public School District to cut teacher positions and increase class sizes, a district official said today. Michael Thomas, the district's Deputy Superintendent for Operations, told an audience at the Koinonia Coffee House Friday Forum this morning that the district is running out of options for budget cuts.
New South Jackson Grocery Store Opening
The city of Jackson is set to dedicate $50,000 to transforming a former Kroger on Raymond Road into a Vowell's Marketplace. The new grocery store, a franchise of the Mississippi-based Vowell's chain, will bring 50 jobs and $10 million in sales to the city, said John Michael Holtmann of Duckworth Realty, which brokered the deal.
Bounds Predicts Job Losses, Tuition Hikes
State higher education commissioner Hank Bounds said today that Mississippi's public university system will likely shed 1,000 jobs over the next two years due to budget cuts. Speaking today to the state Institutitions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees, Bounds delivered dire news about the effects of a more than 8 percent budget cut and recommended that the board approve a series of tuition increases.
Lawmakers to Rally for Education Funds Tomorrow
House Education Committee Chairman Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, will lead a rally in support of education funding tomorrow in the rotunda of the state Capitol at 11 a.m. The rally comes in the wake of further budget cuts to K-12 education by Gov. Haley Barbour and in anticipation of budget negotiations between the House and Senate.
JPD Promoting 30 Officers to Sergeant
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John Dooley
John Dooley is turning his passion for scuba diving into a business. Two weeks ago, Dooley won a $10,000 grant from the Mississippi Technology Alliance to develop Diver's D\Lyte, a performance drink that Dooley invented for scuba divers.
JPD Pushes Communication
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Downtown Restaurant To Bring Local Focus
Craig Noone is nervous these days. The Jackson native is opening his first restaurant, Parlor Market, in June, and he spends his days overseeing renovations at the 115 W. Capitol St. location.
JPS Board Drops Music Program
The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees failed to renew funding for a music education program yesterday, effectively discontinuing a 42-year-old collaboration with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Board members voted 2-2 on renewing the program. Members Jonathan Larkin and Ann Jones voted for renewal, and Delmer Stamps and Ivory Phillips voted in opposition. Board President Sollie Norwood was absent due to illness.
JPD Hopes to Curb Solicitation
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School Board Violated Lesbian Student's Rights, Judge Says
A federal judge ruled today that the Itawamba County school board violated Constance McMillen's free speech rights when it canceled a prom after she asked permission to bring her girlfriend as her date. U.S. District Court Judge Glen Davidson denied McMillen's request, filed by the Mississippi ACLU, for a preliminary injunction forcing the school board to hold a prom, however.
Baptist Eyes Expansion; New Boutique
Baptist Health Systems is in talks with owners of Keifer's Restaurant to purchase the Belhaven eatery's site on Poplar Boulevard. Baptist spokesman Robby Channell said that the move, while not finalized, is part of the hospital's plans to construct a five-story mixed-use office building nearby on the site of the KFC at North State and Manship streets, which it owns.
Parents Prepare to Defend Music Program at JPS Meeting
Parents of children in a Jackson Public Schools music program are gearing up to defend it at a school board meeting today, but as of this writing the issue was not on the meeting agenda. The JPS Board of Trustees failed to the renew the program Oct. 20, voting 2-to-2 on the district's $300,000 contract with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, which the district had maintained for 43 years. The board meets today at 5:30 p.m.
Calhoun Questions Youth Detention Center Staffing, Transparency
Hinds County's youth detention center is once again the target of criticism, despite the county's recent agreement with a watchdog group that has voiced concerns about the facility in the past. Supervisor Peggy Calhoun raised the possibility of overstaffing at the center, also known as Henley-Young, during a meeting of the county Board of Supervisors on Monday, Nov. 16.
Business Roundup
The Jackson Police Department is restarting an initiative aimed at preventing crime around the city's hotels and motels and protecting visitors. Called Tourism Oriented Policing Strategies, or TOPS, the program emphasizes building relationships between police and city businesses.
New Look, New Name for Downtown Restaurant
Suniora Page bounced back from bad luck to a new career. After being laid off from her job as a manager at the Nissan plant in Canton in October 2008, Page took a job as a cashier at Miller's Grocery in the City Centre building downtown. When she heard that the owners were looking to sell the location, she decided to make the leap to ownership and purchased the restaurant.