Mississippi Nationally Recognized for Not Lying
Mississippi might not top every list in educational achievement, but at least it’s straightforward about it. It pays to be honest. Achieve.org recognized the state for closing the “honesty gap”—the difference between how much students have actually improved on National Assessment of Educational Performance examinations and how much students are …
Bert Case, Legendary Jackson TV Newsman, Dies
Bert Case has died. He started in TV at WAPT before going to WLBT-TV for 40 years. In 2014, Case rejoined WAPT. Case, who would have been 77 this weekend, had been hospitalized since the fall. Get more details about Case on WAPT.com. http://jacksonfreepress.com/users/photos/2016/jan/28/24333/
Mayor Yarber Proclaims: It's School Choice Week in Jackson
Mayor Tony Yarber, a former principal, issued the following proclamation for School Choice Week in Jackson: RESOLVED, by the Mayor of the City of Jackson, Mississippi that: WHEREAS, all children in Jackson should have access to the highest- quality education possible; and WHEREAS, Jackson recognizes the important role that an …
Renamed Hal's St. Paddy's Parade to Honor Hal White, Benefit Batson Children's Hospital
This year, for its 33rd annual St. Paddy's Day Parade, Mal's St. Paddy's Parade is changing its name to Hal's St. Paddy's Parade in honor of the late Hal White. Proceeds from the event, held March 19, will benefit the Children's Heart Center at Batson Hospital for Children. This is …
Walmart Closes 6 Mississippi Stores; Raises Worker Wages
Walmart is closing six Walmart Express stores in Mississippi, all located in the northern part of the state in small towns. The store closures translate to about 180 lost jobs, but the national corporation said its main focus is to take care of the associates, offering them the option to …
Roy McMillan, Anti-Abortion Gadfly, Dead
Roy McMillan has died after a long illness, the Clarion-Ledger reported. Frequent visitors to Fondren know McMillan as the brash, fedora-wearing, fetus-sign waving anti-abortion protester near the Jackson Women's Health Organization. A bit of history on McMillan: In 1995, a federal court ordered McMillan to stay 50 feet away from …
Secretary of State Proposes Revisions to MS Election Laws
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann has announced several revisions to Mississippi election laws that will bring our code up to date with current elections procedures and technology. Some of the changes include tightening down campaign finance disclosure laws for political committees and moving Mississippi's presidential primary vote day to the …
Almost 100,000 Mississippians Sign Up for HealthCare.gov
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services made the following announcement: Since Open Enrollment began on November 1, about 8.8 million consumers signed-up for health coverage through the HealthCare.gov platform or had their coverage automatically renewed, including 97,909 Mississippi. Today’s enrollment snapshot includes the number of people who selected …
Senator Will Longwitz Headed to Madison County Court
Sen. Will Longwitz, R-Madison, is leaving the Senate to accept his recent appointment to the Madison County Court. In a press release from the Administrative Office of the Courts, Chief Justice Bill Waller Jr. announced the appointments of Longwitz to Madison County Court and Judge Jim Greenlee to the Court …
Woodrow Wilson Construction Moving Forward
On Friday, the City of Jackson updated their status on repairs on Woodrow Wilson Drive between State Street and I-55; crews will dig on Monday to determine the parts needed for repairs that will take place a few weeks from now.
Report: Mississippi Foster Care System 'Well Beyond Crisis'
A report in the Olivia Y case, filed on Jan. 6, found that an infant died within five days after entering the state's foster care system. The report found that the state had not inspected the home where the baby died before the baby was placed there. Judith Meltzer, from …
Lane Closure; Construction on Woodrow Wilson Drive
Woodrow Wilson Drive's eastbound lanes will be reduced to one lane in preparation for major repair work on the water lines below the road. Once repair work begins, traffic will be re-routed to State Street, but no contractor has been named so the street will remain open until a contractor …
MSSC Justice Jim Kitchens Files for Re-Election
The following is a statement from Justice Kitchens' campaign: Justice Jim Kitchens of Crystal Springs was the first candidate to file papers at the Secretary of State’s Office for the 2016 election when he qualified to seek election to a second term on the Mississippi Supreme Court this morning. Four …
Jackson City Council Joins Gov. Phil Bryant, AG Jim Hood in Condemning Stokes' Comments About Throwing Objects at Police Cars from Suburbs
The following is a verbatim statement from the Jackson City Council: STATEMENT FROM THE JACKSON CITY COUNCIL REGARDING INDIVIDUAL COMMENTS MADE BY COUNCILMAN KENNETH I. STOKES Jackson City Council members reject Councilman Kenneth I. Stokes’ statements regarding violent acts against Law Enforcement (Jackson, Miss.) –The following recent comments made by …