Advocates Criticize Consolidation ProcessNext month, a panel appointed by Gov. Haley Barbour will deliver a report on the possibility of consolidating some of Mississippi's 152 school districts. Barbour tasked the Commission on Education Structure with investigating the feasibility of consolidation, not its efficacy. …
Hood: Don't Waste Resources on Health-Care SuitAn 18-state lawsuit against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that Gov. Haley Barbour joined this month has little merit, Attorney General Jim hood said during a 100 Black Men luncheon at the University Club today.
Panel Withholding Data, Education Advocates SayA governor-appointed panel on school district mergers is withholding the data it used to identify 18 Mississippi school districts for potential consolidation, frustrating a group of education advocates.
McLemore To Continue JSU GrowthFormer Jackson city council president and 40-year professor at Jackson State University Leslie McLemore said today that he would continue plans to redesign JSU until the state College Board picks a permanent president.
West Jackson Development Looks AheadWith construction on a mixed-use development scheduled for completion in July, Jackson State University's Center for University-Based Development is looking ahead to several projects in west Jackson. The next phase of the center's work is a mixed-income residential development that …
The Saga of the Convention Center HotelThe city council met behind closed doors Tuesday evening to discuss a possible cost-sharing agreement with developers of a $200 million mixed-used development along four blocks of Pascagoula street that would include a convention center hotel. The JFP Daily reported …
Behind The Mask: Reversing Domestic AbuseAbout 10 minutes before Jasmine stabbed her boyfriend, William, he had her on the floor of her grandmother's house, choking her to the point that she passed out. It wasn't the first time he had attacked her in that way, …
State's First Legal Distillery OpensBeginning Wednesday, May 19, Mississippi liquor stores will offer a truly local spirit. Cathead Vodka, the first legally distilled spirit in the state, goes on sale this week, after a nearly three-year development process. The corn-based alcohol is a joint …
NAACP Blasts MDPS' DecisionThe Mississippi NAACP is condemning Department of Public Safety Commissioner Steve Simpson's decision to ignore a May 11 finding by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that the department fired Horn Lake trooper Michael McField for racially motivated reasons.
Be the ActorsI was running late and felt lost in the hallways of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C, last week, as I attempted to find Sen. Roger Wicker's office. My feet ached because I had bought into the "pain …
Sun Must Shine on Convention Hotel DealMayor Harvey Johnson Jr. dismayed the Jackson Free Press at the City Council work session Monday when he said the city was looking to enter into a possibly-financial deal with TCI-MS to complete the stalled Capital City Center, but that …
Convention Hotel Developers Owe County TaxesA company formed to develop the Capital City Center development on four blocks of Pascagoula Street, including a convention center hotel, has not paid taxes on the property for 2009. According to the Hinds County Tax Collector's website, TCI-MS owes …
Mixed-Use at JSU, Fondren Market, County PRJackson State University is seeking retailers for a four-story mixed-use development on track to open this fall. One University Place will host 78 apartments on its top three floors. JSU's Center for University-Based Development is currently soliciting potential retail tenants …
City May Help Fund Convention Center HotelThe city could enter a cost-sharing agreement with developers of the Capital City Center, a mixed-use development project on four blocks of Pascagoula Street that will include a convention center hotel, Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. confirmed today.
Major University for Arts Proposed for JacksonJackson Developer David Watkins wants to transform the James Eastland Post Office and U.S. Courthouse on Capitol Street into an institute for the arts.
Open For Business: Starting SmallJacqueline Wells dreams of making films. That's why she's sitting in an office in an old shopping mall on Ellis Avenue, flanked by two portable fans compensating for the office's weak air conditioning.
Joyflow YogaDebi Lewis has been at her new Joyflow Yoga location since 2009, but has been teaching and developing her style of yoga for 18 years. She connected earlier health problems to posture, and constant shoulder tension from her job as …
Healthy Body Health Food CenterBessie Washington's painful joints, fatigue and migraines sent her on a search for herbal remedies. What she discovered worked so well for her that she and her husband, John, opened Healthy Body Health Food Center, Sept. 29, 2006, with the …
Campbell's BakerySedrick and Malinda Lilley, owners of Campbell's Bakery, have always wanted to be the owners of a business. In November 2008, this became a reality when they re-opened Campbell's Bakery.
Olde Tyme CommissaryTucked away in Highland Village's myriad shops is Olde Tyme Commissary, a fixture there since 1972. The store features children's toys and costumes, fine-tailored baby clothes, and educational toys and games, but shoppers can find its true character in the …
Afrika Book CaféLast month, Tawanna and Rico Chapman, who previously owned African bookstores on Bailey and Ellis avenues, opened Afrika Book Café, creating a new cultural venue in Fondren. The shop sells books, clothing, fragrances and refreshments.
Dreamz JxnLocated on the corner of Gallatin and West Capitol streets, Dreamz Jxn is a three-story club and entertainment complex in downtown Jackson with 25 plasma TV screens, VIP rooms, three bars and three dance floors.
Coast Ink Embroidery and Screen PrintWhere some people see obstacles, Keith Richardson sees opportunities. Originally from Moss Point, Richardson, 28, opened Coast Ink Embroidery and Screen Print with four childhood friends in 2005, after graduating from college the year before.
Peaches RestaurantPeaches Restaurant has been a soul-food Mecca on Farish Street since Wilora "Peaches" Ephram first opened the doors in 1961. Her son, Roderick Ephram, is proud of the rich history and symbolism his mother's restaurant has in the city of …
Highway 80 Gets Scrutinized, OrganizedAfter declining slowly for decades, the Highway 80 corridor in south Jackson is poised for a rebirth. The Jackson Redevelopment Authority is looking to have the corridor designated an urban renewal area within the next 60 days, JRA executive director …
Duane O'Neill: Marketing JacksonDuane O'Neill has one of the nicest offices in Jackson, a high-ceilinged corner office in the old fire station next to City Hall. The place is appropriate for a man with his stature in Jackson's business community. O'Neill is president …
Where the Jobs Are in 2010If we're lucky, we're coming out a deep recession and looking at economic growth that, hopefully, will mean jobs, consumer spending and new business investment nationally. Jackson is poised to take advantage of economic revitalization, but to do it, we'll …
The city council met behind closed doors Tuesday evening to discuss a possible cost-sharing agreement with developers of a $200 million mixed-used development along four blocks of Pascagoula street that would include a convention center hotel. The JFP Daily reported …
Jacqueline Wells dreams of making films. That's why she's sitting in an office in an old shopping mall on Ellis Avenue, flanked by two portable fans compensating for the office's weak air conditioning.