Rep. Kimberly Campbell to Leave House of Representatives
Rep. Kimberly Campbell, D-Jackson, will leave the Mississippi House of Representatives by the end of May. She broke the news on her Facebook page last night, announcing that she had accepted the role of state director of AARP in Mississippi. Campbell represents District 72, which includes parts of northwest Jackson, ...
Prominent LGBT Attorney Gives State May 2 Deadline Before Lawsuit: HB1523 Raises 'Serious Concerns'
New York-based attorney Roberta Kaplan, who litigated and won the case to end Mississippi's ban on same-sex marriage, sent a letter to Mississippi leaders regarding House Bill 1523 on Monday, Slate reported, saying she and her legal team at Paul, Weiss LLC had "serious concerns" about the bill violating a ...
MDE Report: Mississippi Graduation Rate Swells, Dropout Rate Falters
The Mississippi Department of Education reports that Mississippi's graduation rates have seen significant improvement between 2011 and 2015. "Districts showed a four-year graduation rate of 78.4 percent for the 2014-15 school year, up from 74.5 (percent) in the 2013-14 school (year)," an April 26, 2016 MDE press release said. The ...
Traffic Delays for First Lady's Commencement Speech
It's graduation day for Jackson State University, and First Lady Michelle Obama will be the featured speaker for the commencement ceremony. 55,000 people are expected to attend, and with large numbers comes major traffic delays. Below is a verbatim statement from The Fondren Renaissance welcoming the First Lady and warning ...
Belinda Carlisle Will Perform in Mississippi, Despite HB1523
Solo artist Belinda Carlisle, the former lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, has decided to go ahead with her Mississippi concert as scheduled, despite having strong objections to House Bill 1523. On Tuesday, the singer posted an open letter to Gov. Phil Bryant on her Facebook page and GLAAD's website, saying ...
JPS Adopts LGBT-Inclusive Employment Policy
The Human Rights Campaign issued a statement praising the Jackson Public School District for voting unanimously to extend workplace protections to gay, lesbian and transgender employees.
Governor To Cut $25 Million from Agency Budgets
Most state agencies will have to take a $25 million budget cut spread across the board due to low revenue, a letter from Gov. Phil Bryant states. The budget cut will mean a .43% cut to most state agencies' budgets except Vocation and Technical Education, Student Financial Aid, Schools for ...
MAEP Funds Same As Last Year, House Ed Committee Chairman Says
When Rep. Jay Hughes, D-Oxford told him that classroom supply funds at $12 million were $24 million less than they should be as mandated by Mississippi Code, House Education Committee Chairman Rep. John Moore, R-Brandon, told him he wouldn’t “stand there and be attacked.” “I don’t care about the formula,” ...
City of Jackson Reports Lead Levels Below Legal Limits
Testing on the City of Jackson's water collected from water towers show lead limits that are below the threshold for concern, which city officials say suggests that lead-level problems repeated previously are a problem with the pipes in local homes, not with the distribution system.
Planned Parenthood Southeast Denounces Second-Trimester Abortion Method Ban
Today, Gov. Phil Bryant signed House Bill 519 which outlaws a commonly used second-trimester abortion procedure called dilation and evacuation. The bill also outlines tools that cannot be used to perform an abortion. Dawn Laguens, Executive Vice President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America released this verbatim statement in response ...
Charter School Expansion Bill Becomes Law
This afternoon Gov. Phil Bryant signed SB 2161 into law. The bill amends the Mississippi Charter Schools Act of 2013 to allow students who live in C, D and F districts to cross district lines to enroll in charter schools. Currently, the only two charter schools in the state are ...
5th Circuit Dismisses Google's Lawsuit Against AG Hood
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has dismissed the Google lawsuit against Attorney General Jim Hood. The 5th Circuit struck down a lower court's injunction that prevented Attorney General Jim Hood from enforcing the administrative subpoena or bringing any civil or criminal action against Google “for making accessible third-party ...
JXN Trailblazers - New 'Museum Trail' Video
The JXN Trailblazers is a group dedicated to encouraging and promoting the building a multi-use trail from the Farmers' Market in downtown Jackson to the Lefleur's museum district centered at Lakeland Drive just east of I-55.
Crossroads Film Society Issues Statement on HB 1523
(Verbatim) Statement from the Crossroads Film Society Board: It is ironic that on the heels of our very diverse, inclusive, and kind-hearted film festival, those of us who cherish open dialogue and respect the contributions we each make to our State find ourselves at another kind of crossroad. Recent and ...
U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson Asks U.S. AG Lynch to 'File Suit' Against Mississippi for HB1523
Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, asking her to review the House Bill 1523, file a lawsuit against Mississippi and declare the bill unconstitutional, which Gov. Bryant signed into law on Tuesday. Below is the press release and the letter reproduced in ...
Jackson Mayor: 'We Will Not Discriminate'
Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber issues a statement this evening in the wake of the passage of HB 1523 and city council action.
AG Hood: HB 1523 'Will Not Protect' State Officials from Federal Lawsuits
Several organizations have issued statements responding to Gov. Phil Bryant signing House Bill 1523 into law. Mississippi law professors from both the University of Mississippi and Mississippi College law schools and legal scholars issued this memo, saying the bill violates the First Amendment. Vermont, New York, Seattle and Washington D.C. ...
An Evening of Communal Support After HB 1523
St. Andrew's Cathedral has just announced that it will have an evening of communal support on April 24 in response to Gov. Phil Bryant signing HB 1523, the Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act. The church says all are welcome regardless of religion or other factors. The event, ...
Gov. Bryant Has Signed HB1523 Into Law
Gov. Phil Bryant has signed House Bill 1523 into law. He made the announcement on Twitter this morning. His full statement is available on his Twitter feed and reproduced in full below: "I am signing HB 1523 into law to protect sincerely held religious beliefs and moral convictions of individuals, ...
Video: Mississippians Lance Bass and Mary Elizabeth Ellis Call for 1523 Veto
Lance Bass, the Mississippi-born pop-singer, actor and producer who rose to fame as a member of NSYNC has joined actress Mary Elizabeth Ellis to encourage Governor Phil Bryant to veto HB 1523, the anti-LGBT "religious conscience" bill.
JFP Editor Donna Ladd an 'Innovator' in Southern Living
Donna Ladd was recently named one of Southern Living's "Innovators Changing the South." The JFP is proud of our "old-fashioned muck-racking journalist with a sharp modern voice."
April is Islamic Heritage Month
Jackson celebrates Islamic Heritage Month this April.
Senate, House Democrats: Revive SB 2147; Change the State Flag
Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, held a press conference this morning with House and Senate Democrats calling on the legislative leadership to suspend the rules and bring back Senate Bill 2147, Horhn's bill that would create a commission to re-design the Mississippi state flag. Horhn and other lawmakers called on the ...