Ed Funding Formula "Dummy" Bills Survive Deadline Day
On deadline day, both the House and the Senate passed their respective versions of "dummy" education funding formula bills out of committee that bring up code sections regarding the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. The bills mark both House Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' commitment to at least …
AG Announces Settlement with Western Union
The Mississippi Attorney General's Office released the following statement, reproduced here verbatim: "ATTORNEY GENERAL JIM HOOD ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT WITH WESTERN UNION Western Union Admits Anti-Money Laundering and Consumer Fraud Violations JACKSON— Attorney General Jim Hood announced today that popular money-transfer service Western Union will implement a comprehensive anti-fraud program in …
Millsaps Issues Statement on Trump's Immigration Order
Dr. Robert W. Pearigen, president of Millsaps College, release this statement in response to President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration this week.
Court Denies Attempts to Dismiss Election Complaint for "Straw Contest"
The U.S. Southern District Court issued an opinion and order this evening denying attempts to dismiss the lawsuit filed by five voters who allege that the Mississippi House of Representatives "intentionally discarding their ballots to change the outcome of the election," the order states. In the order, United States District …
Roll-Off Dumpster Day on February 4
The City of Jackson is encouraging citizens of Jackson to participate in Roll-Off Dumpster Day. Residents can take tree limbs, other yard debris, and household items to one of the following locations on February 4, 2017 from 8:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., weather permitting.
City: Court Rules Rankin Can Build Own Wastewater Treatment Plant
The City of Jackson released the following statement, verbatim: City of Jackson’s Statement on Recent Ruling to Allow the West Rankin Utility Authority to Construct a Wastewater Treatment Plant in Rankin County The City of Jackson is disappointed that the Rankin County Chancery Court agreed with the decision of the …
House Passes Bill to Curb AG Hood's Power
The House passed House Bill 555, which previously failed and was held on a motion to reconsider, which would require Attorney General Jim Hood to get the governor, lieutenant governor and secretary of state's permission before pursuing litigation that costs more than $250,000. The bill caused some debate, and some …
LaDarion Ammons Announces Run for Ward 7 Council Seat
The following release was sent out by the Ammons campaign: "JACKSON, MS - On Tuesday, January 24, 2017, LaDarion Ammons qualified to run for Ward Seven City Council seat. Surrounded by his family, Ammons signed and submitted his official qualifying papers into the Jackson City Clerk’s office. “I think Ward …
Tornado Warning for Central Hinds, NE Rankin, Madison Counties
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the central Hinds County, northeast Rankin County, south-central Madison County until 5:45 p.m. tonight. The NWS reported at 4:45 p.m. that "a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Ridgeland, moving east at 30 mph." The National Weather …
IHL and MDA Partner to "Showcase" State to Businesses
The Mississippi Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning released the following verbatim: More than 95 percent of jobs created during the recovery have gone to workers with at least some college education, while those with a high school diploma or less are being left behind, according to …
AG Hood Secures $26 Million for Mississippi in Settlement with Moody's
The Mississippi Attorney General's Office released this statement: AG HOOD SECURES $26 MILLION FOR MISSISSIPPI IN SETTLEMENT WITH MOODY’S Rating service to pay nearly $864 million to states, federal government over claims of deceptive conduct JACKSON— Attorney General Jim Hood announced today that Moody’s will pay Mississippi more than $26 …
UPDATED: Biloxi Mayor Says City Must Change "Great American's Day" in Ordinance to MLK Day
UPDATED Jan. 14: After a national firestorm and a No. 1 trend on Twitter, Biloxi Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich said the Biloxi City Council on Tuesday, the day after the holiday, should change the city’s Code of Ordinances" to reflect the official federal name of the holiday, 'Birthday of Dr. …
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves: DeVos Will Bring 'Sense of Urgency' to Public Ed
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves wrote the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions a letter this week, to put his support for Trump's Secretary of Education nominee Betsy DeVos in writing. In his Jan. 10 letter, Reeves wrote to Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) that DeVos represents …
Virgi Lindsay to Run for Jackson City Council Ward 7
The following was sent to the Jackson Free Press in the form of a press release this morning, reprinted here verbatim: Virgi Lindsay to Run for Jackson City Council Ward 7 Expert in Neighborhood Revitalization Knows the Formula for Success [Jackson, MS] Virgi Lindsay, a community leader and expert in …
Natchez Publisher Promotes To-the-death 'Rodeo' for Black Youth, Age 13+
A dark storm is brewing in and near Natchez, Miss., after the publisher of MissLou Magazine, The Natchez Sun and Natchez Sun XPress made shocking statements about young black people on Jan. 11, 2017, apparently in jest. Peter Rinaldi wrote in a MissLou Magazine column titled, "Bang, Bang, You're Dead": …
Two Jackson Men Sentenced to 60 months in Armed Carjacking Case
The Department of Justice released the following statement verbatim: Jackson, Miss - Gregory Hines, age 20 and Deontra Deon Paige, age 19, both of Jackson, were sentenced on January 10, 2017 before U.S. District Judge David Bramlette III to a term of 60 months in federal prison, after having previously …
City to Repair Broken Water Mains after Winter Weather
Released this morning from the City of Jackson concerning water main repairs, reposted here verbatim: City of Jackson Repairing Several Water Main Breaks Following Freezing Weather City of Jackson Department of Public Works crews are repairing a number of water main breaks following freezing weather this past weekend. The numerous …
Gov. Bryant Orders State Employees to Take Sexual Harassment Awareness Training
Gov. Phil Bryant signed Executive Order 1392 which requires state employees to complete online sexual harassment awareness training. "This should be a low-cost alternative to expensive seminars and provide a standard of prevention in this litigious society," Gov. Bryant said in his Facebook post announcing the order. "Everyone deserves a …
National Media Diversity Site Features Kimberly Griffin's Promotion to Associate Publisher
Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin has been featured on Richard Prince's 'Journal-isms' website.
Four 'Blues Crawl' Venues Open Tonight for Marathon Runners, But No Shuttle
We just received the following update about what venues will be open tonight for the marathon runners who came to Jackson for the Mississippi Blues Marathon that was cancelled due to the ice storm. Limited venues are open tonight for the scheduled Blues Crawl, but the shuttle will not run. …
Updated: Openings, Closings in Metro Jackson; Blues Marathon Cancelled
The areas in pink are still experiencing icy, dangerous conditions on Jan. 7.
JTRAN Buses Shut Down By Weather
Due to the deteriorating street conditions, JATRAN buses will be off the streets at or about 5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6. Anyone needing a ride home should contract customer service at 601-952-1000 for a ride.
Mississippi Wins 'Development Deal' Award for Continental Tire Plant
Gov. Phil Bryant announced at MEC Capital Day on Thursday that Mississippi won the Business Facilities’ 2016 Economic Development Deal of the Year for sealing the deal with Continental Tire, which is set to open a tire plant outside of Clinton in Hinds County. “To be chosen as the top …
Mississippi Religious Leadership Conference: 'We Will Not Be Silent' About Hate Crimes
Below is an open letter from the Mississippi Religious Leadership Conference reproduced in full: An Open Letter to All Mississippians and Our Leaders We, the undersigned religious leaders, educators, community leaders, and citizens of Mississippi, hereby express our alarm at the increase in hate crimes and acts of abuse against …
State Supe Releases Annual Report
State superintendent Dr. Carey Wright released her annual report today, which includes how and where school districts spend their state, federal and local dollars. Data included in that report show that school districts use state funds to operate at least half of their budgets on average, while local and federal …
Mississippi Picnic in Central Park Cancelled for Good
Last year, the organizers of the boisterous and well-attended annual Mississippi Picnic in Central canceled it in the wake of House Bill 1523's passage. "Any law such as HB 1523 that discriminates against even a single member of our community cannot be tolerated, and therefore we have decided to stand …
Blues Marathon Traffic Advisories for Jan. 9
The Mississippi Blues Marathon takes place this Saturday, January 9, 2017, throughout Greater Jackson. As a result, some streets will be closed and some intersections make take time to get across.
JSU one of only four HBCU’s ranked among top 200 research universities in the country
Verbatim from the Jackson State University public relations department: When it comes to federal research expenditures, Jackson State University is one of only four Historically Black Colleges and Universities listed by The Center for Measuring University Performances’ top 200 research universities in the country. A joint venture between Arizona State …
JPD Arrests 18-Year-Old, 2 Juveniles for Carjacking
The following was released verbatim by the Jackson Police Department: CORRECTION: JPD issued a correction for the street name to Newton Street, the change has been made below. On Monday, January 2, 2017, at approx. 7:53PM, Jackson Police Officers responded to Texaco Gas Station at 3140 Woodrow Wilson regarding a …