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 …
[Adkins] Save Fondren's Main StreetA few weeks ago I went to Perfect Fit Alterations and enjoyed visiting while trying on pants to be hemmed. Then I walked next door to Jackson Shoe Repair where I took two pairs of shoes to get some TLC. …
Meyers Named JSU PresidentJackson State University is set to have its first female president. The Board of Trustees for Mississippi's universities voted this afternoon to finalize its appointment of Dr. Carolyn Meyers as JSU president.
Scott Sisters' Clemency Momentum GrowingSupport for imprisoned sisters Jamie and Gladys Scott is growing as an anticipated deadline for their clemency petition nears. The sisters, who are in the 17th year of their double life sentences for armed robbery, have a petition for clemency …
Payday Lenders Big Donors to LawmakersThe Mississippi Center for Justice says short-term lenders donate heavily to legislative banking committee chairmen in hopes of extending an exemption allowing them to charge up to $21.95 for every $100 loaned.
Advocacy Groups Address JPS Disability ViolationsLast week, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) issued a major decision that declared the Jackson Public School District (JPS) in violation of major components of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), the federal law that ensures all …
Lumumba Pulls Probe; City Approves Fee IncreaseWard 2 Councilman Chokwe Lumumba wants all Jackson City Council members present before he makes a motion to vote on conducting an investigation into Council President Frank Bluntson's alleged use of city employees for personal reasons.
Babalu, New Clinic OpensBabalu Tacos & Tapas opens today in Fondren's Duling Hall. The Mexican and Spanish-inspired restaurant offers gourmet tacos and small dishes, or tapas, with an emphasis on fresh and often locally sourced ingredients.
Shannon GoodwillShannon Goodwill wants families affected by domestic violence to know that the community supports them. Goodwill, a sixth-grade art teacher at Brandon Middle School, is organizing "Art and Sole," an art project she and her students are donating to a …
Cochran Votes Against Doomed Earmark BanMississippi U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran was one of eight Republicans to vote against an earmark ban, which failed in a 39-to-56 vote in the Senate today.