Noise

Judge: Is Court Proper Place for Mississippi Flag Debate? A federal judge is ordering attorneys to file arguments over whether courts have standing to decide if Mississippi should remove the Confederate battle emblem that has been on the state flag since 1894.
SUNSHINE WEEK: Top Mississippi Lawmakers: Email, Schedule Not for Public Republican leaders in the Mississippi House and Senate have denied a request for email correspondence and information about their schedules, saying the state Public Records Act does not apply to legislators.
New Figures Show Mississippi Has Nation's Worst Jobless Rate Mississippi's jobless rate is worst among the 50 states, dragged down in part by a low-growth state economy, according to U.S. Labor Department figures released Monday.
SUNSHINE WEEK: Even as Political Spending Explodes, Disclosure Remains HazyPoliticians in Mississippi have used campaign money to pay for such things as a BMW, an RV and $800 cowboy boots.
SUNSHINE WEEK: Public Needs Year-Round Access to Documents, Meetings, Donation InformationThe JFP has long focused on the serious problem of campaign donation transparency in the state</a>, especially that shielded by political action committees, and more recently the problem with city contractor transparency
City Lifts Boil Notice, Some Streets Still Under WatchThe City of Jackson has lifted the boil notice for most of the city as they receive results from water tests, while one area still remains under watch.
State Begins Lead Testing of Children, Awaits City's Corrosion Compliance PlanThe City of Jackson has extended a "precautionary boil notice" from last week's treatment-plant shutdown.
Man Who Filed Flag Lawsuit Has Hired Full-Time Security, Amends SuitThe Mississippi attorney who filed a federal lawsuit against Gov. Phil Bryant has hired full-time security for his law firm staff and family due to death threats after news broke that he had sued the governor in order to change …
Ole Miss Adding Plaque with Context for Confederate Statue A Confederate soldier statue that has stood for generations in a prominent spot on the University of Mississippi's Oxford campus will soon be accompanied by a plaque giving it historical context.
SUNSHINE WEEK: Top Mississippi Leaders Fail to Disclose Schedules, EmailsLawmakers in every state have adopted laws requiring most government meetings and records to be open to the public. But in some states, lawmakers have exempted themselves from complying.
Water Ebbing in North Louisiana, Rising at Mississippi Linefloodwaters began receding Monday in northwest Louisiana, emergency officials along Louisiana's southeastern border with Mississippi were watching the rise of the Pearl River amid widespread flooding that has damaged thousands of homes.
John David PennebakerFormer state Rep. John David Pennebaker, who helped create Mississippi's comprehensive four-lane highway construction program in 1987, has died at 72.
10 Local Stories of the WeekThere's never a slow news week in Jackson, Miss., and last week was no exception. Here are the local stories JFP reporters brought you in case you missed them.
Profiting From Probation: 'You Don't Criminalize Poverty'MURFREESBORO, Tennessee (AP) — When Steven Gibbs couldn't afford the fees demanded by the company supervising his probation, he wound up in jail. When Gibbs — who had been arrested for driving on a suspended license — failed a drug …
9 Operators Propose 14 New Charter Schools in Mississippi Nine charter school operators say they're interested in opening 14 new charter schools in Mississippi.