10 Local Stories of the WeekThere's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
Day 4 of DA Smith Trial All About Jail VisitsStaff from the Raymond detention center and criminal defendant Christopher's Butler's old attorney, Sanford Knott, dominated the much of day four of the trial of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith for conspiracy to hinder prosecution and aid or …
Facing Takeover, JPS Corrective Action Gains UrgencyAfter a first failed attempt at submitting a corrective action plan to get the district off probation, Jackson Public Schools made good on its second attempt.
Dorothy StewartDorothy Stewart says that when she was growing up, someone once asked her, "Dorothy, what do you want to be?" "I want to be a doctor," Stewart replied.
Smith Trial: Defense Tries to Impugn InformantOn the fourth day of the trial against the Hinds County district attorney, his attorney tried to impugn the motives of a former employee-turned-informant, pressing him for more details on an alleged bribery conspiracy.
Aeris WilliamsAeris Williams' career high for rushing yards in a game entering this season was 46 yards, and he rushed for just 206 yards with three touchdowns as a redshirted freshman.
Conspiracies Grow in DA Smith TrialThere might be a bribery conspiracy in the Hinds County justice system, and even an admitted member of it said he did not know how "deep it goes."
Campaign Finance, BP Money Bills Await LegislatorsThanks to BP, Mississippi has additional income to spend in the 2017 legislative session. The state received its first payment from BP from the 2010 oil-spill settlement last summer.
Emmi SprayberryNine years ago, when Swell-o-Phonic was in the space where Fondren Public is currently located, it wasn't just a skate shop and clothing store. It also housed an art exhibition space, Icon Gallery, and Jackson native Emmi Sprayberry was its …
Saving Tax Dollars with Re-entry and RehabilitationFormer inmates could leave Mississippi prisons with dignity and be able to find jobs, U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett told the Mississippi House Corrections Committee last week. The advocate of drug courts and re-entry programs for former inmates said some …
Informant: Butler Case ‘Became the Big Thing’ in DA’s OfficeIt all began in the P.F. Chang’s parking lot, a former assistant district attorney testified on Tuesday in the trial of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith for two counts of conspiracy and one count of aiding or assisting …
Informant Recorded DA Smith, Reported to FBI for MonthsFormer Hinds County Assistant District Attorney Ivon Johnson secretly taped District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith on several occasions over the last year, FBI Special Agent Robert Culpepper testified this morning during the trial against the county's top prosecutor for alleged …
Livingston Cellars, NewCare MD and Belhaven School of Science and MathematicsEvery season, wine and spirits store Livingston Cellars holds a wine-tasting event. For this season, Mitchell Earrey, the store's general manager and resident sommelier, planned a special New Year's Eve-themed event on Friday, Dec. 30.
Jarrius AdamsJarrius Adams, a 19-year-old Hattiesburg resident and a sophomore at the University of Mississippi majoring in public policy and political science, recently won the Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway competition, which took place during the halftime of the Big 10 Championship …
AG's Office: Assistant DA to Testify For Prosecution After Charges DismissedOne of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith’s former assistant DAs will testify for the prosecution in his trial for alleged tampering with wire-fraud suspect Christopher Butler, the attorney general’s office said today. Special Judge Larry Roberts dropped charges …
DA Robert Smith's Trial Starts TodayThe trial of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith for alleged tampering with criminal cases began today, with jury selection this morning. The list of potential witnesses in Special Judge Larry Roberts' courtroom includes Smith's own attorney, Jim Waide, …
Mississippi Electors Choose TrumpMississippi's six presidential electors cast their votes for Donald Trump for president and Mike Pence for vice president this morning at the Capitol.
10 Local Stories of the WeekThere's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
HB 1523 Opponents Fight Back, Say Law Gives 'Special Rights'LGBT rights proponents are pushing back on Gov. Phil Bryant's effect to bring House Bill 1523 back to life today, saying that it endorses and gives special treatment "to certain religions or religious beliefs over others."
Takeover of JPS Looms as District Addresses Probation, AuditJackson Public Schools is one step closer to getting off probation—but if the district doesn't correct classroom management and behavior problems soon, the State could take it over.
Thomas J. Ward Jr.As with all of Mississippi, the rural town of Mound Bayou in Bolivar County has its fair share of interesting landmarks, including one that even some residents might not know the history of since its still active to this day.
Council Pulls Mayor's Sexual Harassment Settlement from AgendaThe possibility of a settlement in the sexual-harassment and discrimination lawsuit a former executive assistant to Mayor Tony Yarber filed popped up for a moment in the last regular Jackson City Council meeting before President Tyrone Hendrix pulled it from …
Christina ReedMississippi Valley State University senior guard Christina Reed earned preseason first-team All-SWAC honors earlier this year. Eight games into this season, she has lived up to the votes that coaches and sports information directors gave her with her play. She …
Fighting for Women: Workplace Rights, Paid Leave and Pay GapChild care, wages, domestic violence, pay equity and paid family and sick leave are at the top of the Mississippi Women's Economic Security Initiative's agenda for the upcoming legislative session.
Tyler JohnsonTyler Johnson, a local artist and teacher at Forest Hill High School, tries to capture the aesthetic depths of marine life in much of his artwork, which he says is loosely impressionistic and abstract.
Mississippi's newly formed Department of Child Protection Services will have a year to revamp the state's foster-care system, due to the long-running "Olivia Y" lawsuit over maltreatment of children in State care.
There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
Staff from the Raymond detention center and criminal defendant Christopher's Butler's old attorney, Sanford Knott, dominated the much of day four of the trial of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith for conspiracy to hinder prosecution and aid or …
After a first failed attempt at submitting a corrective action plan to get the district off probation, Jackson Public Schools made good on its second attempt.
Dorothy Stewart says that when she was growing up, someone once asked her, "Dorothy, what do you want to be?" "I want to be a doctor," Stewart replied.
The only person to serve as both Hinds County sheriff and Jackson police chief, Malcolm McMillin, died today after a long illness.
On the fourth day of the trial against the Hinds County district attorney, his attorney tried to impugn the motives of a former employee-turned-informant, pressing him for more details on an alleged bribery conspiracy.
Aeris Williams' career high for rushing yards in a game entering this season was 46 yards, and he rushed for just 206 yards with three touchdowns as a redshirted freshman.
There might be a bribery conspiracy in the Hinds County justice system, and even an admitted member of it said he did not know how "deep it goes."
Thanks to BP, Mississippi has additional income to spend in the 2017 legislative session. The state received its first payment from BP from the 2010 oil-spill settlement last summer.
Nine years ago, when Swell-o-Phonic was in the space where Fondren Public is currently located, it wasn't just a skate shop and clothing store. It also housed an art exhibition space, Icon Gallery, and Jackson native Emmi Sprayberry was its …
Former inmates could leave Mississippi prisons with dignity and be able to find jobs, U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett told the Mississippi House Corrections Committee last week. The advocate of drug courts and re-entry programs for former inmates said some …
Mississippi leaders may establish a new agency to ensure the quality of teachers and the programs that train them.
It all began in the P.F. Chang’s parking lot, a former assistant district attorney testified on Tuesday in the trial of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith for two counts of conspiracy and one count of aiding or assisting …
Every season, wine and spirits store Livingston Cellars holds a wine-tasting event. For this season, Mitchell Earrey, the store's general manager and resident sommelier, planned a special New Year's Eve-themed event on Friday, Dec. 30.
Jarrius Adams, a 19-year-old Hattiesburg resident and a sophomore at the University of Mississippi majoring in public policy and political science, recently won the Dr. Pepper Tuition Giveaway competition, which took place during the halftime of the Big 10 Championship …
One of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith’s former assistant DAs will testify for the prosecution in his trial for alleged tampering with wire-fraud suspect Christopher Butler, the attorney general’s office said today. Special Judge Larry Roberts dropped charges …
The trial of Hinds County District Attorney Robert Shuler Smith for alleged tampering with criminal cases began today, with jury selection this morning. The list of potential witnesses in Special Judge Larry Roberts' courtroom includes Smith's own attorney, Jim Waide, …
Mississippi's six presidential electors cast their votes for Donald Trump for president and Mike Pence for vice president this morning at the Capitol.
There's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
LGBT rights proponents are pushing back on Gov. Phil Bryant's effect to bring House Bill 1523 back to life today, saying that it endorses and gives special treatment "to certain religions or religious beliefs over others."
Jackson Public Schools is one step closer to getting off probation—but if the district doesn't correct classroom management and behavior problems soon, the State could take it over.
As with all of Mississippi, the rural town of Mound Bayou in Bolivar County has its fair share of interesting landmarks, including one that even some residents might not know the history of since its still active to this day.
The possibility of a settlement in the sexual-harassment and discrimination lawsuit a former executive assistant to Mayor Tony Yarber filed popped up for a moment in the last regular Jackson City Council meeting before President Tyrone Hendrix pulled it from …
Donald Trump officially won Mississippi with 58 percent of the vote this week when Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann certified the election results this week.
Mississippi Valley State University senior guard Christina Reed earned preseason first-team All-SWAC honors earlier this year. Eight games into this season, she has lived up to the votes that coaches and sports information directors gave her with her play. She …
Across the pod, from inside the darkness of a cell, two shining circles stared out: the still and steady eyes of a black boy, locked up before he is even a man.
Tyler Johnson, a local artist and teacher at Forest Hill High School, tries to capture the aesthetic depths of marine life in much of his artwork, which he says is loosely impressionistic and abstract.