News

Kemper Startup Expected for 2014 Despite ProblemsMississippi Power says its $2.8 billion lignite power plant is on track to open in May 2014.
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.
The 'Solid South' Growing More Complex As Demographics ChangeThe "Solid South" was a political fact, benefiting Democrats for generations and then Republicans, with Bible Belt and racial politics ruling the day. But demographic changes and recent election results reveal a more nuanced landscape now as the two major …
Persuading the 'Persuadables' -- Presidential Candidates Reach for Undecided VotersRushing toward their party conventions, the rival presidential campaigns are trying to invigorate core supporters while reaching out to a sliver of undecided voters who harbor doubts about President Barack Obama yet aren't sold on Republican Mitt Romney.
Ryan Campaigning with His Mom, Obama Calls Romney's Tax Plan 'Trickle Down Fairy Dust'Paul Ryan, a champion of changing Medicare, spoke as a passionate defender Saturday, promising seniors that he and Mitt Romney would save it, and he introduced his mother to voters to drive home the point that the health program "was …
BizBriefs: Apple at a New High, Facebook at a New Low... and Monday Is Jus' Plain BlueIt's not just in your head. Mondays really are the worst. Monday is the only day the stock market is more likely to fall than to rise. The Dow Jones industrial average has been down 10 of the past 11 …
Jackson Redistricting Stirs MidtownSeveral Midtown residents are worried after seeing one of the redistricting options D.L. Johnson Consultants has proposed for the city of Jackson.
Rep. Ryan Switches Course, Admits to Seeking Stimulus To Help Create 'Green' JobsRepublican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan on Thursday reversed course and acknowledged lobbying the government for millions of dollars in economic stimulus money after twice denying he had done so.
Reeves Taps Committee ChairsLt. Gov. Tate Reeves switched around a couple Senate committee seats to fill a vacancy left by Sen. Merle Flowers, R-Southaven, who resigned earlier this year.
Rep. Ryan Denies Seeking Stimulus Dollars Despite Writing Letters Seeking 'Green' Funds in 2009Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan on Thursday denied for a second time that he ever lobbied the government for stimulus money, even though he sent letters —with his signature — to the Energy Department and Labor Department asking for …
FRC Head Perkins Blames Southern Poverty Law Center, Others for ShootingFamily Research Council President Tony Perkins said "reckless rhetoric" from organizations that disagree with his group's opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage was to blame for the shooting.
City Says Go DirectGo Direct Day is coming to help Jacksonians set up direct deposit payments for their federal checks before next year's deadline.
Romney Goes On Record: He's Paid Taxes Every YearMitt Romney says he's never paid less than 13 percent of his income in taxes during the past decade.
Romney's Pledge to Restore Higher Payments to Medicare Providers Could Undermine ProgramGOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's new promise to restore the Medicare cuts made by President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law could backfire if he's elected.
State Reports Fewer Alcohol DeathsThe Mississippi Department of Public Safety reports the number of drunk driving fatalities in the state fell dramatically from 2009 to 2010.
Gulf Coast's Palazzo: Mississippi Should Deny Medicaid Expansion under ACAFreshman U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo says Mississippi should not expand Medicaid to cover more people under the federal health care overhaul.
The 'Dirty' South Another wrinkle for Mississippi Power Co.'s Kemper County power plant came last week as the company announced it had terminated a contract with a joint venture of KBR and W.G. Yates & Sons Construction, which was working on part of …
Fellowship, Koinonia Style On the day Lee Harper graduated from Mississippi Valley State University in 1978, the U.S. Department of the Treasury offered her a job. It was a good paying job—"Nobody made that kind of money back then," she says.
Be Smarter, Jackson The political gamesmanship has begun. It's nearly seven months until our next municipal elections and, already, folks are jockeying for position.
Entry Plan Highlights Dr. Cedrick Gray's entry plan focuses on engaging the following three groups (JPS's Board of Trustees & superintendent's staff, Community leaders, Legislative (city & state) members with parents, and school staff.)
Today: "A Daring Life" Author Signing"A Daring Life: A Biography of Eudora Welty" profiles the Jackson author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
Health-Care Corridor Plan ComingThe Jackson Medical Mall and its partners are almost ready to present a completed strategic plan for the Jackson Health-Care Corridor to the public.
More Water, Sewer, But No RaisesMajor increases in water and sewer spending and no raises for city employees were on the docket when Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. unveiled his budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year at City Hall Aug. 8.
The JFP Interview with JPS Superintendent Dr. Cedrick Gray The atmosphere at the Jackson State University e-Center on Aug. 2 was more like a wedding reception than a welcoming for a public school superintendent.
UM Physics Researchers Contribute to Higgs Boson DiscoveryResearchers in the University of Mississippi Department of Physics played major roles in the research and discovery of the Higgs boson,
2nd Agency Cuts Mississippi Power's Credit RatingLower credit ratings may be causing Mississippi Power Co. to pay more to borrow money.
Online Deals Fatique? Groupon's Stock Slides After Disappointing Revenue ReportGroupon's stock fell as analysts slashed targets and ratings on the online deals company after it reported its first-ever quarter-to-quarter decline in gross billings, a measure of how much money Groupon collects from customers.
'Obamacare' Still Might Not Cover Many Working MississippiansMany working parents are below the federal poverty line but don't qualify for Medicaid, a decades-old state-federal insurance program. That's especially true in states where conservative governors say they'll reject the Medicaid expansion under Obama's health law.
Madison Attorney Pleads Guilty to Bankruptcy FraudMichael E. Earwood, 60, an attorney from Madison, Mississippi, pled guilty in U.S. District Court today to one count of bankruptcy fraud.
Bike Shop ComingJackson Bike Advocates and Bike Walk Mississippi are teaming up to start a volunteer-run Community Bike Shop in Midtown, at 121 Millsaps Avenue.