Natural Gas: The Natural Choice?
The purchase of three new squad cars for the Jackson Police Department breezed through approval last month, but some city leaders are calling for the city to take a new approach to buying vehicles.
Jackson Hospitals Expanding
The University of Mississippi Medical Center will soon have a downtown presence. The only question is how long it will take and how big of an impact it will have.
Rally: Schools Budget Gap an 'Injustice'
The Mississippi Adequate Education Program lays out the bare minimum that schools need to operate, but lawmakers almost never follow it.
Catherine Lutz
St. Joseph Catholic Church in Gluckstabt held a funeral Monday for Major General Catherine Lutz, the first woman to command the Mississippi National Guard, who died last week at age 58.
State Developments Help to Grow Downtown
The vacancy rate of offices in the downtown Jackson area will soon drop, thanks to two moves from state-level government entities.
The Battle for Downtown, Part 2: What Should Farish Become?
Nothing rivals the level of disappointment over what has happened on Farish Street, the historic area on downtown Jackson's periphery designated as the future site of an entertainment district.
Pulling the Trigger on a Gun Ordinance
Jackson City Council President Charles Tillman's effort to ban firearms in certain public areas is encountering new obstacles that could ultimately sink the measure.
Jackson Gives Local-Option Sales Tax a Resounding 'Yes'
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba had plenty of reasons to be happy when he took to the podium at The Room Tuesday night—700,000 reasons, to be exact.
The City-Focused Push
Christmas has come and gone, but Jackson leadership is hoping the Mississippi Legislature will find a little room to stuff a few more much-needed gifts in the city's stocking.
Rick Hill Brings It Home
Rick Hill retired last week after working 41 years with the city and an emotional goodbye following an honor from the Jackson City Council.
JRA Lawsuit Heating Up
A couple of key motions in the lawsuit the Jackson Redevelopment Authority brought against its former Farish Street leaseholder are set to be ruled upon this week.
Legislators Return to Jackson
Legislators from across Mississippi are gathering in Jackson today for the beginning of the 2014 legislative session, and Jackson's leaders are going to be there to welcome them.
City Gearing Up For Referendum Vote
If you hear a knock at the door between now and Jan. 14, you could be receiving a visit from supporters of the proposed 1 percent sales tax.
$5 Million Makeover Comes At a Cost
The Jackson City Council voted Monday to pump an additional $1.89 million into the city's Department of Human and Cultural Services to provide "funds needed for an expanded scope of services determined essential for the Thalia Mara project."
JATRAN Facility Has New Life, But At What Cost?
The Jackson City Council voted Monday to spend nearly half a million dollars to restart the stalled Hwy. 80 JATRAN facility project, a vote one council member called "the worst I've ever cast."
Crime Alignment Hitting the Streets
Ward 6 City Councilman Tony Yarber said he wanted to put 1,000 people—and 2,000 boots—on the street to kick off his organization, Jackson's Crime Alignment, on Dec. 14 at New Horizon Church.
Malik Newman
Jackson Public Schools have long been the heart of Mississippi prep basketball, and Malik Newman, 17, is the latest in a long line of star players the city has produced.
Horhn Speaks on 'Tea Party Governor,' Sales Tax Vote
The 1-percent sales tax is an opportunity, and not a burden. That was the message state Sen. John Horhn delivered to a packed house at the weekly Friday Forum meeting at Koinonia Coffee House near Jackson State Friday morning.
Council Mulls Residency Requirements
Since 2007, legislation has been on the books to ensure that money the City of Jackson pays out in wages stays close to city. Soon, it could be changed to ensure that money stays completely within the city.
Mystery Shrouds JSU's Comegy Firing
There was nothing normal about Jackson State University's handling of its decision to fire Rick Comegy, announced Wednesday morning.
Federal Money Restarts Projects
The Jackson City Council recently approved a pair of emergency change orders to restart work on Capitol Street and Fortification Street.
Lumumba Wants More Siemens Oversight
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba has taken a city-first approach to infrastructure—he wants to pave city streets and fix the water and sewer network by hiring local contractors instead of handing work, and money, to businesses located outside the city limits.
Gray to Bus Drivers: Wait 'Til Next Year
More than a hundred Jackson Public Schools bus drivers met with District Superintendent Cedrick Gray Friday morning at Powell Middle School.
The Phantom Inspection
When the David Watkins camp responded to the Jackson Redevelopment Authority's decision to cancel Watkins lease on the Farish Street Entertainment District project, it sent JRA a 10-page letter that outlined the setbacks.
What's With the Boil-Water Notices?
If Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba is looking for a pitch to sell Jacksonians on the proposed 1-percent sales tax, he could simply forward everyone the press releases regarding boil water notices from the city's Department of Public Works.
JPS Bus Drivers Hint at Unionizing
This morning, Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber had to make a quick stop before attending a meeting of striking Jackson Public School bus drivers: He had to drop his kids off at school.
Crime: A Faith-Based Solution?
Less than 24 hours after the shooting death of 15-year-old Wingfield High School student Destinee Ford, Ward 6 Councilman Tony Yarber got behind a podium at City Hall to announce his new faith-based initiative, Jackson's Faith-Based Alignment Against Crime.
Hood, Jackson at Odds Over Gun Laws
While the Jackson City Council Rules Committee is still mulling its revised concealed-carry gun ordinance, Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood issued an opinion outlining places where Mississippi statutes authorize enhanced permit carry, regardless of signage that municipalities posts.
Leaders Leave Jackson for Big Ideas
Sitting in his office on the second floor of City Hall Tuesday, Nov. 26, Ward 4 City Councilman De'Keither Stamps beamed as he went over a list of 12 new ordinances he plans to introduce in the coming weeks.
No Fingerprinting for City Program?
The 4-2 vote the city took last week to enact fingerprint scanning for the city's child-care programs might have been a little premature, following revelations that a previously filed injunction could delay and ultimately kill the Mississippi Department of Human Services mandate.
Selling the Sales Tax
City officials took their message to the people Sunday evening in the first of several town-hall style events, kick-starting the massive task of selling Jacksonians on a proposed 1-percent sales-tax hike.
Watkins: The Meridian Angle
Farish Street may be the biggest mess David Watkins has ever stepped in, but it's certainly not the first project he's had to work and re-work.
Aligning Behind JPS
Shortly after Cedrick Gray wrapped up his Thursday evening press conference, in which he discussed fights at William B. Murrah High School last week, the assembled media hastily packed up their cameras and microphones and silently filed out of the auditorium at Siwell Middle School.
City Holds Nose and Passes Fingerprinting Motion
The City of Jackson was forced to adopt the State Department of Human Services' new policy of fingerprinting parents who get government assistance to pay for child care or risk losing its funding for the program.
JPS Superintendent Debunks Fight Myths
After students at Murrah High School used social-media tools to brag about—and in some cases embellish—several fights this week, Jackson Public Schools officials are urging parents to be vigilant about what their children are posting and viewing on the Web and their smartphones.
A Working Public Works?
With all the talk about putting Jackson first, attracting business and teaching kids other parts of American history besides the Christopher Columbus discovery myth, reforming the city's public works department took a back seat during the 2013 municipal elections.
Nominees Highlight Council Agenda
Jackson's beleaguered redevelopment authority is set to get a makeover Tuesday night at City Hall, when the city council will vote on two nominees to its board.
The Battle for Downtown, Part I: Watkins v. JRA, et al
In recent years, Watkins has taken credit for several successful renovation projects—the King Edward Hotel, the Standard Life Building and Retro Metro, which renovated a large chunk of Metrocenter Mall.
Jackson Honors Those Who Served
On a day made for honoring veterans of American wars, the members of VFW Post 9832 did just that—and in high fashion.
Watkins Fighting on Two Fronts
Jackson developer David Watkins is fighting his political foes on two fronts these days.
Controversy Roils Around Abortion Clinic
Preacher Flip Benham and his band of anti-abortion protesters from Operation Rescue America descended on Jackson Monday, two days after a pro-abortion rights rally at Jackson Women's Health Organization, or JWHO, the state's sole remaining abortion clinic.
Food Stamps Cuts Hit Today for 663,000 Mississippians
The 663,000 Mississippians who receive food-stamp benefits will need to shop smarter starting today, as the federal government rolls back the program's benefits across the country.
Watkins Team Wants Injunction Against JRA Attorneys, Cites Conflicts of Interest
David Watkins' attorney is charging that a local law firm is helping clients “attempting to steal the Farish Street project from (Watkins)" with its involvement with various lawsuits spinning around the beleaguered developer and his various projects.
JRA Sues Watkins, Jackson Leaders Fed Up
Hope for a compromise between the Jackson Redevelopment Authority and the latest Farish Street developer took a hit last week, when JRA filed a lawsuit against the Farish Street Group and Watkins Development, LLC., seeking to expunge its name from liens and recoup nearly $5 million in penalties for breach of contract.
Sales Tax Goes to Voters in January
The Hinds County Board of Supervisors' election is Nov. 5, but Jacksonians shouldn't be ready to put away their votin' shoes just yet.
Gaillet Fired as Public Works Director
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Lumumba has fired Public Works Director Dan Gaillet, effective immediately. The mayor confirmed Gaillet's termination Monday afternoon following a special meeting of the city council.
Horhn: Farish Games 'Very Frustrating'
Downtown is abuzz over the ongoing feud between the Jackson Redevelopment Authority and one of Jackson's most prominent developers, David Watkins, and his Farish Street Entertainment District project.
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