All results / Stories / Ward Schaefer
Hinds Supes Appoint New County Attorney
At a board meeting this morning, Hinds County Supervisors appointed Sherri Flowers to replace Malcolm Harrison as county attorney. Harrison became Gov. Haley Barbour's first African American judicial appointment in October, when the governor picked him for the Hinds County Circuit Court seat formerly held by Bobby DeLaughter.
Rep. Steven Palazzo
While he represents Biloxi in the Mississippi Legislature, Rep. Steven Palazzo often seems to be acting on a national stage. Palazzo, a Republican, sent Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood a letter Dec. 21 urging him to "take the appropriate legal action against the federal government" if Congress passes one of the health-care reform bills currently under consideration.
JPD Honors Officers; Crime Drops For The Week
Read this week's crime report
Businesses, Hospitals, Schools Feel Pinch in Water Crisis
Due to more than 100 water-main breaks, parts of Jackson continued to suffer from low or nonexistent water pressure today, forcing area businesses to close or otherwise adapt.
Jamie Harris
When Jamie Harris came to Millsaps College as a geology professor in 1995, he had never taught before, even as a graduate student. Since then, Harris has flourished as a teacher. On Nov. 19, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named him Professor of the Year for Mississippi.
Arena Supporters Raise Funds for Study
Supporters of a proposed arena for downtown Jackson made their case yesterday at the Jackson Convention Complex. A steering committee featuring many area business leaders is trying to raise $80,000 to fund the first phase of a feasibility study for the project.
South Jackson Mall Seeks Community Input
The Jackson Square shopping center that has struggled with crime and vacancy for years is showing signs of life. The South Jackson retail mall at Terry Road and Interstate 55, renamed the Jackson Square Outlet Mall, is getting a facelift and actively pursuing new tenants, but the property's new owner believes community support is essential to the project's success.
Johnny DuPree
Johnny DuPree wants to take Mississippi from last to first place in national rankings. DuPree, 57, the mayor of Hattiesburg, was the guest speaker today at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce's Friday Forum at Koinonia Coffee House. DuPree is touring the state before filing formal qualifying papers to be a candidate for the Mississippi governor's race in 2011.
Dim Prospects for House Plan to Restore Cuts
The Mississippi House of Representatives approved a plan yesterday to restore recent state budget cuts, but the proposal is unlikely to gain much traction in the state Senate or the governor's office. The House voted 73 to 47 yesterday to take $100 million from state reserve funds to shore up agency budgets slashed in Gov. Haley Barbour's most recent round of budget cuts, announced Jan. 22. The measure attracted fierce opposition from House Republicans, however, and House Democrats acknowledged that the plan stood little chance of passing the Senate.
How to Remake a Neighborhood
Affordable housing is not a typical prestige project for architecture firms. A new development in Jackson's North Midtown neighborhood may dispel that notion, though, applying innovative design on a relatively humble scale.
Jackson Major Crimes Up 5.3 Percent
Download JPD's weekly crime report (PDF)
Walthall County: Separate and Still Unequal
The two biggest high schools in Walthall County are only 10 miles apart, but for almost 20 years a student transfer policy allowed the two schools to become symbolically separate, effectively re-segregated public schools. Last week, a federal judge put an end to the county's intra-district transfer policy, confirming that the Department of Justice's 1970 desegregation order is still necessary.
Farish Street Nightclub to Increase Security
Attorneys for the Birdland Restaurant and Lounge reached an agreement with Jackson city attorneys yesterday to close the Farish Street nightclub for 30 days while addressing security concerns stemming from a recent fatal shooting.
State Economic Recovery Projected for 2013
Like the nation as a whole, Mississippi can expect to recover from the nationwide economic recession by 2013, according to a report released last week by the state Institutions for Higher Learning. Many economic indicators suggest that the state's economy is beginning to turn around. Mississippi's recovery will lag slightly behind that of other states, however, because its economy relies more on slow-growing, lower-productivity industries.
Three JPS Schools Make Highest Grade
Three Jackson elementary schools received the state's highest rating according to new data released this morning by the Mississippi Department of Education. Those elementary schools, Power APAC, Davis Magnet and McWillie, received "Star School" ratings, the highest possible under the new state accountability system. All three schools are home to special programs or curricula: Power APAC houses a performing arts program, Davis Magnet offers the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program, and McWillie offers Montessori instruction.
Susan Piedmont-Palladino
Susan Piedmont-Palladino believes that new technology can help make cities better.
Sanaa Hill
One year ago, on Dec. 9, Sanaa Hill was doing her homework at the Sykes Road Boys and Girls Club when a stray bullet from an AK-47 came through the wall and struck her in the head. Paramedics rushed her to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where doctors were able to remove the bullet. Hill ultimately made a full recovery and returned to McLeod Elementary School in January, where she is now a fourth-grader.
Ex-Hinds Official Defends Radio Purchase
Larry Fisher, former emergency operations director for Hinds County, defended the city of Clinton's purchase of 19 emergency radios today, challenging the claim by Board of Supervisors President Robert Graham that the purchase violated county policy. Fisher, who retired from the county's Emergency Operations Center Oct. 31, said that the purchase conformed to a policy approved by the state auditor's office and in place since 2008.
Vance Urges JPD Fuel Conservation
Read this week's major crime report (PDF, 44 KB)
Business Law, Restaurant Raves
One of the more common obstacles to fledgling entrepreneurs is a lack of adequate legal advice, Michael Harris, program manager of the Jackson Business Accelerator, said today.