City to Vote on Funds For Fondren Street ImprovementsThe Jackson City Council will vote at Tuesday's council meeting on whether to approve a $2 million grant from the Mississippi Department of Transportation to install new sidewalks, lighting, landscaping and street-construction for the area starting at the fork at …
Doing Good: A ‘New Focus' for At-Risk YouthSince Virgie Peterson, 12, joined the New Focus For Youth Intervention program at the Jackson Medical Mall last fall, she went from being a C student to becoming a straight-A student.
New McDonald's Compromises AppearanceNeighbors of a proposed McDonald's restaurant at the corner of Lakeland Drive and Ridgewood Road succeeded in changing the businesses hours of operation and the color of the building, even though they weren't successful in stopping the development during a …
Most Businesses Prepared for Water IssuesMost Jackson businesses are well-prepared for low or nonexistent water pressure, having weathered a nearly week-long crisis in January. Most restaurants are open and hospitals are maintaining regular operations with a few adjustments.
Commissioners Deny Barbour's InfluenceMississippi Sierra Club Director Louie Miller says that a letter from Gov. Haley Barbour to the Public Service Commission asking it to approve an experimental coal plant in Kemper County may have had an unseemly impact on Public Service Commissioners …
JPS Facing $9M Budget HoleThe Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees met yesterday to address a possible $9 million budget shortfall for the upcoming school year. With lower tax collections, rising debt-service obligations and reduced state funding, the district may need to request a …
MDE Submits Proposal to Makeover State SchoolsOn June 1, the Mississippi Department of Education sent a 500-page Race To The Top proposal to radically transform the state's educational system to Washington, D.C. Mississippi's entry in the federal grant program proposes performance pay for teachers, a state …
[Balko] 'I Find that Inexcusable'At a stoplight just a few miles from his home, Nicholas Beltrante, 82, puts on his flashers, opens the driver's side door to his car, gets out, and approaches my car. I roll down my window.
IHL Report Predicts Moderate RecoveryThe Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning released a report today indicating that another downturn in the national economic recession is unlikely, and that Mississippi's recovery is showing a slight improvement.
Doing Good: Health Help for KidsThe Mississippi Health Advocacy Program estimates that 120,000 Mississippi children have no health insurance, even though three-quarters qualify for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program. A new outreach project aims to remedy the state's low enrollment in those federal …
Barbour Welcomes BP Escrow ManagerMississippi Gov. Haley Barbour praised Kenneth Feinberg today, for his ability to oversee a $20 billion escrow fund that BP agreed to set up to compensate Gulf State victims filing claims for losses due to the massive oil spill in …
Housing Authority, Medical Mall Make Homes AffordableIn an effort to rebuild local communities, The Jackson Medical Mall and Jackson Housing Authority are working to bring high-quality, affordable housing to Jackson residents.
Sierra Club Takes Kemper Plant to CourtThe Mississippi Sierra Club filed a lawsuit today in Harrison County Chancery court challenging a decision by two Mississippi Public Service Commissioners to reverse an earlier PSC decision capping expenses of a new $2.9 billion coal-burning power plant in Kemper …
Jackson's Recovery Top 20 In NationDespite suffering its worst recession in three decades, Jackson's economy is recovering faster than many U.S. cities. Jackson was one of only 10 metropolitan areas in the country--almost all of them in the South--to experience positive job growth in the …
Toyota to Restart Blue SpringsGov. Haley Barbour announced this morning that Toyota is moving forward to complete its Blue Springs plant in north Mississippi. Current plans call for the first cars to roll off the assembly lines in fall 2011.
AG Can Sue BP without OKBritish Petroleum announced that Mississippi will receive a total of $65 million to fight oil coming onto the beaches and for tourist advertising, but Attorney General Jim Hood says he requires none of those funds to pursue a suit against …
Without Federal Funds, JPS Needs $2.5M from CityUncertainty about $187 million in federal aid is forcing Jackson Public Schools into awkward contortions as the district prepares its budget for the upcoming school year. The district will likely request an additional $2.5 million from the Jackson City Council …
Stop Threatening AGs AuthorityThis month, Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell reported that he will beg the Louisiana Legislature for $27 million to sue oil giant BP for the damage the company's oil is doing to Louisiana's lucrative fishing and tourism market.
Bad Business or Bad Math?In a column published June 3 ("Payday Lending: Bad Business" by Scott Colom), JFP readers met a man named Mike (an alias for a supposed payday loan customer.) I'd like for you to meet a real payday loan customer: Gracie.
[Hutchinson] What We Can't Do About BPFormer Secretary of State Colin Powell minced no words in an interview with ABC News recently. Powell said President Barack Obama should muscle BP aside and move in with "decisive force." The general had one thing in mind: military-type response …
Corps Rejects Lake 255Read Billy Orr's letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (PDF, 256 KB)
Jackson Tops for Meetings; New Boutique and EventsJackson is an attractive meeting place for cost-sensitive companies, according to ConventionSouth magazine. The magazine's June issue names Jackson one of five "Smart Cities" in the South for business meetings. The list also names Austin, Texas, Charleston, S.C., Fairfax, Va., …
Doing Good: Jackson Is ArtAt first glance, the Jackson Community Design Center isn't easy to recognize; it is merely another red brick building on Capitol Street. But step inside and you'll find a creative room with paintings and various other artwork. This artistic wonderland …
Majority White Jury in Flowers TrialThe fate of Curtis Flowers, a man on trial for the sixth time, is now in the hands of a jury consisting of 11 whites and one African American in Montgomery County where the racial make up is 54 percent …