Another Condemned Man Seeks ReprieveGary Carl Simmons Jr., scheduled to be the third person Mississippi puts to death this month, wants the State Supreme Court to grant him a stay of execution. Monday evening, Simmons' attorney filed a motion asking for 14 days to …
Irby, Sameerah's, Mangia BeneThe Stuart C. Irby Company and Sonepar USA's new 8,500-square-foot Jackson facility is open for business. The retail space and distribution center, located at the corner of Silas Brown and President Street, represents $6 million in investment to the area. …
Anti-Abortion Groups Protest Contraceptive RuleAbout 60 people in Jackson took part in a rally Friday to protest a rule that requires health insurance for most employees to cover contraceptives.
Legal Question Could Delay ExecutionOn Sunday, Jan Michael Brawner turned 35. Tomorrow, the state could put him to death if he doesn't receive a reprieve. Brawner has asked the Mississippi Supreme Court for a stay of execution on the grounds that a majority of …
Utah Firm to Manage Three State PrisonsA Utah private-prison firm will take over running the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility and two other Mississippi prisons from The GEO Group. Management & Training Corporation, based in Ogden, Utah, will also assume management of East Mississippi Correctional Facility …
City Calls on Companies to Offer ‘Fresh Start'Jackson is making an effort to stop the revolving door in the state's prison system. One of the biggest keys, according to the Fresh Start Task Force, is helping formerly incarcerated people learn skills and find jobs.
Last-Minute Decisions on Sex EdSchool districts across the state have only a few weeks left to decide on sex-education policies and curricula for next year, but many have yet to make their decisions, including Jackson Public Schools.
[Kamikaze] Hold the School Board AccountableI'm a proud product of Jackson Public Schools. I attended Boyd Elementary and Chastain Middle schools up until the 9th grade. I then went to St. Joseph Catholic School because my mother wanted me to attend Murrah High School instead …
[Strachan] In Praise of Public ServantsGlendora businessman Mike Sturdivant passed away at age 84 on May 1, at his home on his Due West Plantation. It brought to mind many things about one of the Magnolia State's best leaders.
Private Prison, Public ProblemsGail Tyree exited U.S. Highway 84 onto Hobo Fork Road and drove through the rose-adorned entrance of the sprawling Adams County Correctional Center. A female correctional officer leaving the prison's main administration building scrutinized Tyree's car as she circled the …
Melton Mentees Get Second ChanceThe late Mayor Frank Melton may well be smiling from his grave over the good fortune bestowed by Gov. Haley Barbour and the city of Jackson to two of the troubled men he mentored over the years.
Whitwell: Getting Things GoingQuentin Whitwell, 39, was born in Memphis and grew up in Southaven and Oxford. His father, Robert Q. Whitwell, served as the U.S. Attorney for northern Mississippi from 1985 through 1993. After graduating from Oxford High School, Whitwell earned his …
Ward 3 Hearing BeginsThe hearing to contest the February Ward 3 runoff election began Monday at the Hinds County Courthouse. The judge and lawyers spent the afternoon picking jurors from a pool of nearly 300.
Nissan Workers Move to UnionizeThe United Auto Workers and the Mississippi NAACP are supporting efforts by some workers at the Nissan automotive plant in Canton to form a labor union. A full-blown campaign is underway with workers planning to petition the National Labor Relations …
Rep. John Lewis Rallies DemsSometimes, Democrats like to feast on red meat, too. At this year's Jefferson Jackson Hamer Dinner, held Friday at the Regency Hotel in Jackson, Georgia U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a civil-rights icon who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., …
City Leaders Prepare ‘Fresh Start'A few dozen local leaders from a range of fields are working on a program to help keep people from returning to prison after leaving.
County-level Dems Switch to GOPIn light of President Barack Obama's affirmation of same-sex marriage earlier this month, seven former Democrats decided to go play for the other team.
Jackson Tourism Weathers a Tough EconomyLast year, an estimated 3 million people visited Jackson's tourist spots, events, festivals and conventions, spending more than $294 million.
Keeping BeesHere's a term that has gained popularity in the past couple of years: urban homesteading. It means making your property, or "homestead," as self-sufficient as possible, regarding food and supplies, while living in an urban setting.
No Room? Look Up!For would-be urban farmers, the solution to lack of space may be as simple is looking up.
Create a ‘Club Newsletter' for your Biz or GroupI am surprised when I find a local business or organization—restaurant, retailer, non-profit—that isn't using an email newsletter service to reach their loyal customers and clients. Email newsletters offer a wonderful opportunity to follow up with clients, reminding them of …
Getting Past the Rhetoric of HateHere in Mississippi, our history is filled with people, events and creations that stir pride in us. Sadly, our history also contains wrongs, violations and prejudices that cast a long, shameful shadow over our state.
Vol. 10, No. 38In a recent column, ("Why Charter Schools Died," Vol. 10, Issue 34, May 2-8, 2012) state Rep. Cecil Brown laid out the many flaws with the charter-school bill proposed this past legislative session. Indeed, he made it sound like it …
Why Write for the JFP?Ugh! He's in my office again, with his holier-than-thou arrogance, his buffed-up hair and skin so alabaster he can't have ever seen the sun! What does he want this time? He's complaining about something. I do that thing where I …
Stolen Lives: Remembering the Tragedy of SlaveryA half moon disappeared as the sun rose out of the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 1, 1832. The humid coastal winds filled the sails and carried the ship through the waves as J.W. Martin captained the Schooner Wild Cat, a …
Big Plans, Little ProgressThe U.S. Congress established the Lower Mississippi Delta Development Commission as an independent, public advisory commission with the Rural Development, Agriculture and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of October 1, 1988.
Dr. Carl Reddix Talks About Political RealitiesDr. Carl Reddix wasn't looking for national media attention when he agreed to serve on the Mississippi Board of Health, but if it has people talking about public-health policy in Mississippi, he'll take it.
A Heart for SurvivorsIn 2007, she began to feel unwell, she said. She was inexplicably losing weight, was feeling nauseous and had developed what she called a shiny, itchy spot on her left breast. She brushed it off as sadness despite the protestations …
Gary Carl Simmons Jr., scheduled to be the third person Mississippi puts to death this month, wants the State Supreme Court to grant him a stay of execution. Monday evening, Simmons' attorney filed a motion asking for 14 days to …
The Stuart C. Irby Company and Sonepar USA's new 8,500-square-foot Jackson facility is open for business. The retail space and distribution center, located at the corner of Silas Brown and President Street, represents $6 million in investment to the area. …
On Sunday, Jan Michael Brawner turned 35. Tomorrow, the state could put him to death if he doesn't receive a reprieve. Brawner has asked the Mississippi Supreme Court for a stay of execution on the grounds that a majority of …
A Utah private-prison firm will take over running the Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility and two other Mississippi prisons from The GEO Group. Management & Training Corporation, based in Ogden, Utah, will also assume management of East Mississippi Correctional Facility …
After 10 years of waiting, planning and discussing, a Fortification Street redesign project has finally begun.
Gail Tyree exited U.S. Highway 84 onto Hobo Fork Road and drove through the rose-adorned entrance of the sprawling Adams County Correctional Center. A female correctional officer leaving the prison's main administration building scrutinized Tyree's car as she circled the …
The hearing to contest the February Ward 3 runoff election began Monday at the Hinds County Courthouse. The judge and lawyers spent the afternoon picking jurors from a pool of nearly 300.
The United Auto Workers and the Mississippi NAACP are supporting efforts by some workers at the Nissan automotive plant in Canton to form a labor union. A full-blown campaign is underway with workers planning to petition the National Labor Relations …
Sometimes, Democrats like to feast on red meat, too. At this year's Jefferson Jackson Hamer Dinner, held Friday at the Regency Hotel in Jackson, Georgia U.S. Rep. John Lewis, a civil-rights icon who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., …
A few dozen local leaders from a range of fields are working on a program to help keep people from returning to prison after leaving.
A half moon disappeared as the sun rose out of the Atlantic Ocean on Sept. 1, 1832. The humid coastal winds filled the sails and carried the ship through the waves as J.W. Martin captained the Schooner Wild Cat, a …