The Santa SituationStores have decked the halls, and Christmas music is playing on radio stations. As the holiday approaches, children anticipate the magic of the season and people ask my kids, "Is Santa coming to your house this year?"
The JFP Interview with Carolyn MeyersCarolyn Meyers was born a tinkerer. The worst spanking she can remember was the consequence of her taking apart a clock radio her mother had just bought.
New ChallengesCarolyn Meyers doesn't look much like her predecessor at Jackson State University, Ronald Mason, on paper or in person. The tall, arguably aloof Mason was not a researcher by training, having received his bachelor's and law degrees from Columbia University.
Lumumba Defends Minority Contract PushInstead of pushing for an investigation of Council President Frank Bluntson's use of city employees during last night's Jackson City Council meeting, Ward 2 Councilman Chowke Lumumba defended his push for minority contracts.
Scott Sisters Appear Before Parole BoardInvestigations into the pardon petition for sisters Jamie and Gladys Scott have concluded, and the request for their release now awaits Gov. Haley Barbour's decision.
New Bistro; GrantsParveen Kapoor, a native of Delhi, India, came to Jackson seven years ago after a stint managing restaurants in Japan. He worked at Spice Avenue as a manager for over a year before leaving to open his own Quizno's franchise …
Anton GunnA common question people ask U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Regional Director Anton Gunn is how to sort through the misinformation surrounding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Corps Will Consider Lake PlanU.S. Army Corps of Engineers Senior Project Manager Gary Walker assured the local levee board this morning that the Corps will consider a smaller, one-lake plan in an upcoming feasibility study.
Council to Vote on Bluntson InvestigationThe Jackson City Council is set to decide tomorrow whether to launch an investigation of Council President Frank Bluntson's use of city employees to campaign for his daughter-in-law, who lost a bid for Madison County Court judge Nov. 2.
Johnny DuPreeJohnny DuPree wants to take Mississippi from last to first place in national rankings. DuPree, 57, the mayor of Hattiesburg, was the guest speaker today at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce's Friday Forum at Koinonia Coffee House. DuPree is touring …
Chamber Forms Health-Care DivisionThe Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership is placing a priority on the metro's medical industry expansion by forming a new health-care initiatives division.
MDA Extends Entrepreneur TrainingThe Mississippi Development Authority is extending its Dec. 3 enrollment deadline for its free inaugural entrepreneur and business-owner training seminar to Dec. 17 due a low number of applicants.
Sanaa HillOne year ago, on Dec. 9, Sanaa Hill was doing her homework at the Sykes Road Boys and Girls Club when a stray bullet from an AK-47 came through the wall and struck her in the head. Paramedics rushed her …
Traversing the Merit-Pay ThicketOver the next five years, Oak Forest Elementary School will be on the vanguard of a nationwide experiment in school reform. The south Jackson school is one of 10 in Mississippi chosen to participate in a pilot program that will …
U.S. Food Bill Spares Small FarmersMike Steede, owner of Steede farms in Lucedale, Miss., took over the farm his family has operated for the past 150 years after he retired from teaching agriculture at the Mississippi State Extension Service last year. In May, he formed …
[Editorials] Be Honest About Tax CutsU.S. Sen. Roger Wicker defended his vote against two Senate measures on Dec. 4 that would have preserved soon-to-expire tax cuts for individuals reporting less than $200,000 in personal income and for families and business owners making less than $250,000 …
[Kamikaze] It's About PeopleLet's be honest. This town needs an enema. There are some leadership voids that indicate it's time for our city to turn a page—or three.
[Wilkes] TSA: Terrorists Screw AmericaThe Transportation Security Administration implemented new policies that, in essence, give strippers more rights in their places of employment than airline passengers in an airport.
Watkins Wants to Buy MetrocenterWatkins Development LLC Vice President Jason Goree said the company, which already owns a closed anchor-store space in Metrocenter Mall, now wants to buy the entire structure.
Wicker To Introduce ‘States' Rights' BillU.S. Sen. Roger Wicker said he intends to undermine a federal health-care reform law President Barack Obama signed this year by introducing a bill this week allowing state officials to challenge federal regulations.
Baptist Eyes Expansion; New BoutiqueBaptist Health Systems is in talks with owners of Keifer's Restaurant to purchase the Belhaven eatery's site on Poplar Boulevard. Baptist spokesman Robby Channell said that the move, while not finalized, is part of the hospital's plans to construct a …
Boys and Girls Club to Close Again?Boys & Girls Club of Central Mississippi President and CEO Billy Redd said his organization is planning to close three area facilities for the second time in two years because of a lack of long-term funding.
Mississippi Lawmakers Split on Tax CutsMississippi Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker will likely side with their Republican colleagues Saturday in blocking a return to pre-Bush-era tax rates for wealthy Americans that the U.S. House of Representatives passed yesterday.
State Agency Finds JPS Violating Disability LawJackson Public Schools has one month to improve the way it educates special-education students, according to a Mississippi Department of Education's Nov. 22 decision. The decision states that JPS fails to provide appropriate special-education services to students with behavioral and …
All God's ChildrenOne image won't leave my head since I finished my part of the cover story I wrote this issue with freelance writer Valerie Wells (starts here): A deputy with his foot against a door as a desperate mother tries to …
PSC Examining Charitable ContributionsMississippi Public Service Commissioners Brandon Presley and Lynn Posey say they want to limit ratepayers funding charitable donations given by utility companies.
Creating SynergyAs Wes Holsapple II walks through the soon-to-be filled offices on the second floor of the Regions Plaza building on Thanksgiving eve, his mind is far from turkey and stuffing. As the executive director of the Venture Incubator, he is …
You Get What You Pay ForThe confluence of two events brought home hard truths about the values that some Mississippians seem to hold dear: The first was Gov. Haley Barbour's budget recommendations for fiscal year 2012. The second was our cover story this week about …
Carolyn Meyers was born a tinkerer. The worst spanking she can remember was the consequence of her taking apart a clock radio her mother had just bought.