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JPS Approves 12 Percent Smaller Budget
The Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees approved a budget yesterday that cuts staff work days and eliminates 125 unfilled teaching positions. The $270.7 million budget for the upcoming school year is 12 percent smaller than last year's, reflecting drops in state funds and local revenues.
Jackson Major Crimes Down Again
Major crimes decreased again last week in Jackson, according to statistics released today at a Jackson Police Department meeting. The city's overall major crime rate was down 13 percent from the previous week, and 0.9 percent year over year.
JSU Dreaming of Civil Rights Corridor
John R. Lynch Street, the history-rich thoroughfare running through Jackson State University, could see new life as a civil-rights corridor. JSU leaders floated a vision of the street as a living museum in a discussion with community members last night.
State Public Safety Dept. to Stay in Jackson, For Now
A proposal to move the Mississippi Department of Public Safety's headquarters from Jackson to Pearl is off the table for the moment, but a spokesman for the Department said Commissioner Steve Simpson still hopes to complete the move later. The Mississippi Legislature passed a bonds bill March 26 to pay to move the state crime lab and medical examiner's office to Rankin County, a process that began last year.
Kelly Boutwell
For the past five years, diners at BRAVO! have had Kelly Boutwell to thank for the restaurant's exemplary wine list. The Millsaps graduate, 27, is leaving her post as sommelier at BRAVO! next month to change career paths.
Oil Expected on State's Beaches
State officials expect oil in the Mississippi Sound to make landfall on beaches within the next few days. Speaking to the Sun-Herald yesterday, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Trudy Fisher said that Coast residents should brace themselves for the possibility that skimmers and booms would not contain all the oil.
Rains Hurt State Fair, Helped Local Restaurants
The weather was unkind to the Mississippi State Fair last week, but the near-constant rain was a boon for one segment of Jackson: downtown restaurant owners. Fair director Billy Orr estimates that roughly 500,000 people attended this year, down from nearly 610,000 last yeareven after the addition of an extra day Monday.
Charters and Quasi-Charters
The Mississippi Legislature's wrangling over charter schools intensified yesterday when the House of Representatives passed a bill that would authorize "innovative schools" but voted down a provision for actual charter schools.
Scott Sisters Appear Before Parole Board
Investigations into the pardon petition for sisters Jamie and Gladys Scott have concluded, and the request for their release now awaits Gov. Haley Barbour's decision.
Hood Fights Cyber Crime, Online Predators
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood continued his efforts to combat cyber crime today, unveiling an Internet safety video created in collaboration with Comcast Cable. The video, which will be available to Comcast subscribers and on the attorney general's Web site, is aimed at parents and children.
Andrew Young
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Jackson State University today hosted Andrew Young, one of King's closest advisers during the civil-rights movement of the 1960s. Young 77, has a long career of public service, including terms as a U.S. Congressman from Georgia and as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Jimmy Carter. Young was with King on the night of his assassination, April 4, 1968, in Memphis.
Slow Progress on Hinds Emergency Sirens
Read the county's siren report
Slow Progress On Pre-K
Early-childhood education in Mississippi is the big engine that couldn't: Despite reams of documentation showing its economic and educational benefits, pre-kindergarten has not attracted the political support—and public funding—in Mississippi it has in many neighboring states.
Who's Getting Rich off ‘No Child Left Behind'?
In a fenced-in complex of buildings sandwiched between Capitol and Amite streets, a small tutoring business is making big money.
Open For Business: Starting Small
Jacqueline Wells dreams of making films. That's why she's sitting in an office in an old shopping mall on Ellis Avenue, flanked by two portable fans compensating for the office's weak air conditioning.
The JFP Interview with Carolyn Meyers
Carolyn Meyers was born a tinkerer. The worst spanking she can remember was the consequence of her taking apart a clock radio her mother had just bought.
Give Me Shelter: Protecting Animals, Prosecuting Abusers
The mutt turned up in the Providence Madison subdivision one day in early October 2009 . A black and tan hound mix, around 7 months old, she was skittish around the neighborhood(tm)s residents. She cowered if a human tried to pet her, tucking her tail between her legs, even urinating. Some residents began feeding her, though, leaving dog food on the road for her to eat.
Robert Graham: Positive Thinker
Robert Graham knows his way around a phone. The Hinds County Supervisor for District 1 keeps three cell phones and is not above using two at once, one on either side of his facea holdover from the 15 years he spent as media relations officer for the Jackson Police Department.
Day of Reckoning
The thrice-delayed federal civil-rights trial of Mayor Frank Melton and bodyguard Michael Recio began this week, ending a long process of pre-trial maneuvering.
Shades of Gray
On the evening of Oct. 27, the mayor of McComb, Miss., was in the city's board room, arguing with his city attorney about fractions. The mayor wanted to block a vote to fire the city's accountant.