Politics Plaguing Entergy AuditRepublicans in the Mississippi Senate could kill a House bill that would merge the Public Service Commission, which elected officials run, and the Public Utilities Staff, which is operated by governor-appointed staffers. The House of Representatives Public Utilities Committee passed …
JFP ‘Best of Jackson' Challenge: Give Back, and Shop Local!Now that the 7th annual (really!) Best of Jackson season has ended, and the party a sweet memory, here's what all of us can do next. We need to vow to honor "the best" in our communitythe best local businesses, …
Teen Summit Tuesday Deals with Teen Pregnancy[Verbatim statement] Jackson, MS- Centers for Disease Control recently released a report that puts Mississippi as the nation's leader in teen births. Many parents are intimidated to talk with their child about sex and other social issues that most students …
City Council To Discuss Suing MeltonWard 1 Councilman Jeff Weill plans to raise the possibility of suing Mayor Frank Melton to release tax forms at the Council's work session this afternoon. The Council asked Melton on Jan. 5 to provide 1099 tax forms that would …
LoungeList Photos: Best of Jackson 2009Thanks to everyone who came out last night to the Best of Jackson 2009 party to see the awards given away, experience a wonderful new venue -- the Auditorium -- here in Jackson, and to rub elbows (literally) with the …
McLemore Not Seeking ReelectionCity Council President Leslie McLemore announced today that he is not running for a third term. McLemore said that he plans to support his administrative assistant, Vance Stiggers, for the Ward 2 seat.
Authorities Bust DeSoto Cockfighting OperationHumane Society agents and DeSoto County police raided a suspected cockfighting training operation at a Byhalia home on Friday. Agents seized hundreds of fighting roosters and breeding hens. The roosters had to be euthanized on site because of their aggression. …
House Approves MAEP Funds for Ailing SchoolsResponding quickly to dire news about Mississippi's school districts, House lawmakers approved a bill today that would appropriate $68 million for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program, the state's primary funding mechanism for low-revenue districts.
Wicker on Roe v. Wade Anniversary<em>WASHINGTON - On the 36th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., reaffirmed his belief that no one should be denied the right to life. Wicker also thanked the participants in today's March for Life …
Crisler Announces Mayoral RunStanding in front of a throng of supporters and family at the Alamo Theatre, City Councilman Marshand Crisler formally announced his candidacy for mayor Thursday afternoon. Crisler, who first won the Ward 6 Council seat in 2001, said he would …
In Response to Entergy Matter, Lawmakers Trying to Merge PSC, Public UtilitiesIn response to a controversy involving Entergy rate hikes, the Mississippi House of Representatives Public Utilities Committee passed a bill this week moving the Mississippi Public Utilities Staff back under the supervision of the Public Service Commission. As reported in …
Schools Short on Pay Roll?The latest round of state budget cuts has many Mississippi school districts facing difficult budgetary decisions. Gov. Haley Barbour announced $85 million in cuts to K-12 education last Wednesday, $76 million of which will come out of the Mississippi Adequate …
Janice CameronDowntown lawyers, med students, hipsters and retireescountless Jacksonians of every stripe know Janice Cameron's work, even if they don't know her. With her husband, Dennis, Cameron owns Cups Espresso Café, a Jackson-based coffee-shop chain.
State Casinos Report Revenue Drop In 2008Numbers released Wednesday by the Mississippi Tax Commission show a 5.9 percent drop in casino gambling revenue from 2007 to 2008. The decline is an expected consequence of the reduced consumer spending that accompanies an economic recession. National figures for …
14 or More Schools Will Operate In Red As a Result of Education Budget Cuts[Verbatim From the Mississippi Department of Education] Jackson, MS – A detailed district-by-district spreadsheet of the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) was released today to superintendents to review the impact of the recent budget cuts made by Governor Haley Barbour.
Happy Inauguration Day! Share Your Thoughts.Jan. 20, 2009, is here, and Barack Obama will make history as the next president of the United States. What are your thoughts on this historic occasion? What message do you want to send to Obama? To fellow Americans? Please …
What to Do in Jackson on Inauguration DayThere are several gathering around Jackson, day and night. Click here for a list on the JFP events calendar (and you can add your own!). Feel free to post about events below as well.
Tougaloo Students Blogging from InaugurationA group of students from Tougaloo College are blogging inaugural events on Black College Wire. The group of mass communications students are led by professor Eric Stringfellow and plan to produce a special issue about the trip:
DA Alleges Racism; Former DA Weighs InEven as Hinds County District Attorney Robert Smith is alleging racism in the Hinds County Justice system, his African American predecessor says that it was her job to find a way to work within the parameters set by the judge.
The Meridian Star Apologizes For Civil Rights CoverageBeginning with a Martin Luther King Jr. quote, The Meridian Star issued an apology yesterday for its neglect of civil rights issues facing Mississippians during the Civil Rights Movement.
Former Rep. Chip Pickering Joins Lobbying FirmFormer U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Mississippi, has joined the lobbyist firm Capital Resources, after opting not to run for re-election last year. Associated Press is reporting that Pickering's former chief of staff Susan Butler and former legislative director Mary Martha …
LoungeList Photos: Convention Center OpeningLoungeList.com photographer Kip Caven got some great shots of people -- reportedly tens of thousands -- attending the Jackson Convention Center grand opening in downtown Jackson on Saturday, January 17, 2009. Enjoy!
Man Arraigned in Jackson for Online Obama ThreatsSteven Joseph Christopher of Wisconsin was arraigned today in federal court in Jackson for making threats against President-elect Barack Obama on the Internet chat forum on Jan. 11 and 15. "Threats against the president-elect will be taken very seriously. Use …
U.S. Attorney to Reveal Sealed Criminal Complaint at 4 p.m.<i>There will be a hearing at 4:00 p.m. today before US Magistrate Judge Sumner on the fifth floor of the federal courthouse. I am not able to tell you what it's about because the criminal complaint is sealed. But I …
House Proposes Voter ID, Early Voting Bill; Hosemann ObjectsSecretary of State Delbert Hosemann, a vehement voter ID proponent, opposes the Mississippi House of Representatives' attempt to codify voter ID Thursday saying the ID requirements are "unmanageable." He also objects to language in the bill that would bring early …
Medical Mall Teen Summit to Deal with Pregnancy[Verbatim] Jackson, MS- he Mississippi State Health Department and others will join the Jackson Medical Mall Foundation for a news conference on Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at Center Stage of the Jackson Medical Mall Thad Cochran Center …
Downtown lawyers, med students, hipsters and retireescountless Jacksonians of every stripe know Janice Cameron's work, even if they don't know her. With her husband, Dennis, Cameron owns Cups Espresso Café, a Jackson-based coffee-shop chain.
Steven Joseph Christopher of Wisconsin was arraigned today in federal court in Jackson for making threats against President-elect Barack Obama on the Internet chat forum on Jan. 11 and 15. "Threats against the president-elect will be taken very seriously. Use …