JFP INDEX: VIP White JacksonThe November 2009 edition of The Clarion-Ledger's now-shrunken VIP Jackson Magazine is a study in how (not) to publish an extremely white publication in a majority-black metroby a company that supposedly prides itself on media diversity.
Going RogueOn his county-provided laptop, Phil Fisher has replaced the standard mouse icon with a sword. A former Marine and a current brigadier general in the Mississippi Army National Guard, Fisher has a bit of the warrior in him, and his …
Johnson FumblesMayor Harvey Jr. Johnson rode back into the mayor's office on a platform of openness to the media and the voting public, but he recently left himself vulnerable to criticism on this very issue.
[Kamikaze] To Our HealthI have to shamefully admit that it's been over a decade since my last trip to a doctor's office. That's any doctor's office, anywhere, for any kind of checkup.
Shades of GrayOn the evening of Oct. 27, the mayor of McComb, Miss., was in the city's board room, arguing with his city attorney about fractions. The mayor wanted to block a vote to fire the city's accountant.
The Path of Least DramaEveryone who reads me regularly knows that I despise the question "Why does she stay?" when asked about domestic-abuse victims.
Is Beleaguered Bon Air Back?The city of Jackson announced new funds for the development of the Bon Air Subdivision on West Capitol Street last weeka project with a long trail of controversy behind it.
Green Grads Hit the Ground RunningLaborers' International Union Local 145 President James Anderson said at yesterday's graduation ceremony that he trained his students well before sending them out into the workforce. "We had 14 students. It was a three-week class. They actually built a little …
Burnham Selected as Superintendent of SchoolsThe Mississippi Board of Education announced its unanimous selection for Superintendent of Schools yesterday: Dr. Tom Burnham, 56, who held the position from 1992 to 1997. Burnham replaces Interim Superintendent Dr. John Jordan, who took on the job when former-Superintendent …
[Balko] Bad Prosecutors, Mississippi and BeyondAnthony Caravella walked away from a Florida prison last month. He served 26 years for a rape and murder that DNA testing has shown he didn't commit. Caravella was 15 at the time he was arrested and has an IQ …
Council Renames Northside Library for TisdaleThe Jackson City Council voted 5-to-2 this morning to name the city library on Northside Drive after former Jackson Advocate Publisher Charles Tisdale, who died at age 80 in 2007. The council voted along racial lines, with black members Kenneth …
Supreme Court Refuses to Decide Statute of Limitations in Seale CaseFormer Klansman James Ford Seale will remain in prison, at least for now. The U.S. Supreme Court today refused to address a question from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to decide whether too much time had passed for …
Laurence C. JonesA hundred years ago, Laurence Clifton Jones established The Piney Woods School in rural Rankin County with $2 and three students. Jones, born Nov. 21, 1884, in St. Joseph Mo., graduated from the University of Iowa in 1908. He turned …
Jackson Recognized, Again, for Business ClimateMayor Harvey Johnson Jr. send out a statement this afternoon, announcing that Jackson has again been recognized for the city's strong business climate, as it has several times in recent months. Johnson stated, verbatim:
Jones Drafts Legislation to Protect Abuse VictimsA Mississippi Gulf Coast lawmaker is drafting a bill that will protect domestic-violence victims from being victimized again. Rep. Brandon Jones, D-Pascagoula, vice-chairman of the House Insurance Committee, says his legislation will prevent health-insurance companies from denying victims coverage.
Crime Reports Mixed: Jackson Crime Stats for Oct. 19-25Major crimes in Jackson last week stayed level with numbers from the previous week, according to a report released today at a Jackson Police Department command staff meeting. Officers reported 216 total property crimes and 26 total violent crimes last …
Sweet and SafeThese days, not a lot of people go door-to-door for trick-or-treating. Many families attend local harvest festivals or parties at their kids' schools or churches. Nevertheless, if you are taking your kids out this Halloween, remember to practice these few …
[Stiggers] Momma's MadMr. Announcer: "In the ghetto criminal justice system, the people are represented mostly by two members of the McBride family: Dudley 'Do-Right' McBride, and attorney Cootie McBride of the law firm McBride, Myself and I. This is their story."
[Mott] The Cost of ExecutionsQuitman County, Miss., population 10,500, raised taxes for three years and borrowed $150,000 to provide legal counsel to Robert Simon and Anthony Carr, sentenced to death for the 1990 murders of four family members. A death-penalty case "is almost like …
Barbour's Medicaid Letter a Half-Truth?Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour pinched a nerve in September that's still causing pain for some health-insurance reform advocates. Barbour sent a Sept. 8 letter to Mississippi Republican Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker warning both that the reform envisioned in …
Obama to Sign Hate Crime LegislationIn a ceremony today at the White House, President Barack Obama will sign a bill into law that has been in the works for more than a decade. The bill updates the 1968 federal hate crime statutes that currently protects …
JSU Breaking Ground on University PlaceA long-awaited development project near Jackson State University has begun its first phase at the corner of Dalton and Lynch Streets. The JSU Development Foundation, which supports the university through investments, will celebrate the groundbreaking on the four-story, mixed-use building …
Barbour Appoints Malcolm Harrison to DeLaughter's Old Judge SpotJackson, Mississippi – Governor Haley Barbour today announced the appointment of S. Malcolm O. Harrison, of Jackson, as Circuit Court Judge for the Seventh Judicial District, Sub-district 4, serving Hinds County. Harrison will serve the unexpired term of former Judge …
Parents, Educators Call on JPS to Renew Music ProgramComplaints inundated Jackson Public Schools Board members after a tie vote on Oct. 20 failed to renew a music education program that serves elementary students across the district. The roughly $300,000 program, a collaboration with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, brings …
Lukisha CorkLukisha Cork, 35, knows an opportunity worth grabbing when she sees it. The Greenville mother of four boys, aged 12 to 17, will be receiving her certified nursing assistant certificate on Friday, along with four of her family members. The …
JSU Gets $500K Entergy GrantJackson State University is dedicating a laboratory and a new power-systems degree track in its engineering program, thanks to a grant from Entergy. The power company has awarded JSU with $400,000 to purchase equipment for a new laboratory and an …
Laura DeesSoon after Laura Dees gave birth to a baby girl named Ella Cate on May 1, 2008, Dees' daughter was diagnosed with a heart condition that thickened the valves of her heart and decreased blood flow. After several tests, cardiologists …
Update: School Board Meeting CancelledThe Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees has canceled a special meeting today, because "additional information is needed for a recommendation to approve Qualified School Construction Bond Projects," according to a release. The agenda was to include time for public …
Bus Strikers Want Deal SoonUnion bus drivers for Hinds County schools say the part-time pay for drivers isn't enough to keep food on the table.
On the evening of Oct. 27, the mayor of McComb, Miss., was in the city's board room, arguing with his city attorney about fractions. The mayor wanted to block a vote to fire the city's accountant.