[Stiggers] What About the Milk?Dear Diary: I have a serious concern about how I am serving my community. I am ashamed about how I've enabled my financially challenged customers to consume processed foods from my Pork-N-Piggly supermarkets.
Listen Up, HospitalsMary Jo went to the hospital recently and received a bill for more than $15,000. She was uninsured and unable to pay more than about $20 per week. It would take her about 15 years to pay off this debt.
[Hammond] It's a Dry HateAt the end of July, I traveled to Arizona to join with other members of the Unitarian Universalist faith to protest the enactment of SB 1070, the infamous anti-immigration law, in solidarity with Puente, a human-rights organization.
JRA May Help Fund Capitol GreenThe Jackson Redevelopment Authority voted today to work with a developer to form a funding strategy for an automated parking garage and communal air-conditioning unit for the proposed $1.3 billion Old Capitol Green project in downtown Jackson.
Hood To Push ‘Spice' BillMississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is asking Gov. Haley Barbour to include a bill banning synthetic marijuana during Friday's special legislative session.
[Balko] The Government's License To StealIn the February issue of "Reason," I wrote a feature story on civil asset forfeiture, the process by which law enforcement groups can seize property, usually in drug cases, sometimes without ever charging anyone with a crime. In particular, the …
New South Jackson Grocery Store OpeningThe city of Jackson is set to dedicate $50,000 to transforming a former Kroger on Raymond Road into a Vowell's Marketplace. The new grocery store, a franchise of the Mississippi-based Vowell's chain, will bring 50 jobs and $10 million in …
Legislature to Tackle Development ProjectThe Mississippi Legislature will convene Friday for a special session to approve incentives aimed at luring a $500 million economic development project to the state. Gov. Haley Barbour announced the session Aug. 20 but gave few details on the project, …
Barbour Reverses on $98M for SchoolsAfter soundly criticizing the federal Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act earlier this month, Gov. Haley Barbour has apparently reversed his decision, telling lawmakers and school officials yesterday that he will apply for funds to help Mississippi schools.
State Street Repairs; New Farish Hotel AnnouncedTwo development projects announced today will add to Jackson's renaissance. Jackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. announced a $586,000 street paving project on State Street between Woodrow Wilson and Seneca avenues, and Watkins Development Vice President Jason Goree announced the national …
Edwards Denies Influence on Book PurchasesJackson Public Schools Superintendent Lonnie Edwards spent nearly an hour at a press conference yesterday sharing the story that inspired him to write a book, but skirted around specific questions on how his former school district purchased and used that …
[Dennis] Not a Guns-and-Gold RepublicanIntervention is never easy. It generally implies that the subject of the intervention has an addiction that they themselves have not yet fully perceived to be a problem.
Wait: I've Heard This BeforeRecently, someone sent me a link to a site set up about the old white-supremacist Citizen's Council (citizenscouncil.com)--a supposedly upstanding racist group that famed newspaper editor Hodding Carter Jr. called the "uptown Klan."
Jackson Singled Out for Bond ‘Lobbying'The Mississippi Legislature singled out Jackson as the only municipality that needed to submit an application to and lobby the state Bond Commission in order to receive a loan that the lawmakers had promised the city.
A System that WorksJudge Houston Patton isn't used to competition. Since first winning election as Hinds County Court judge in 1989, Patton has had no opponents for the District 2 seat. But this year is different; the Jackson native is facing two challengers …
City Fights Wastewater OrderThe City of Jackson has asked the Mississippi Supreme Court to stay an Aug. 12 court order requiring it to transfer its wastewater treatment contract to a new provider.
Council Guarded on Care HomesWard 3 Councilman Kenneth Stokes was clearly guarded about imposing new regulation for personal-care homes at the Monday Jackson City Council Planning Committee meeting.
State Officials: Respect JacksonJackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. discovered last month that State Treasurer Tate Reeves wants details of every aspect of a $6 million state loan. Without that information, Reeves said that the state Bond Commission staff never put the loan on …
What's Stopping Solar?Will Hegman looks over a warehouse filled with what could potentially be the future of American energy.
Choctaw Sun Warriors Look to AustraliaThe Mississippi Band of Choctaws kicked serious sun-lovin' butt this past month after taking home the overall championship in the 15th Hunt-Winston Solar Car Challenge for high-school teams.
Edwards To Address Book ControversyJackson Public Schools Superintendent Lonnie Edwards is holding a press conference this afternoon to address controversial book purchases at his former school district. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has reported that several administrators in the DeKalb County, Ga., school district used school …
Restaurant Openings, Sustainable PlanningChip Matthews, owner of the nightclub Fire, wants to bring spice to downtown every day of the week. Matthews opened Fuego, a Mexican restaurant, in the former sports bar adjoining Fire on Aug. 4. Fuego serves a variety of Mexican …
[Balko] Cops Don't Check Civil Rights at State House DoorThe debate over whether citizens should be permitted to record on-duty police officers intensified this summer. High-profile incidents in Maryland, Illinois, Florida, Ohio, and elsewhere spurred coverage of the issue from national media outlets ranging from the Associated Press to …
Hinds Signs Old Capitol Green Support AgreementThe Hinds County Board of Supervisors approved a tentative agreement today with the City of Jackson and New York City-based developers Full Spectrum Inc. establishing financial support for infrastructure related to the proposed Old Capitol Green development in downtown Jackson. …
Moving JPS to Metrocenter a ‘Game Changer'Jackson developer David Watkins said this morning that other cost savings justify the estimated $1 million annually it would cost Jackson Public Schools to relocate its administrative offices into the empty Belk store site in the Metrocenter Mall.
State Waits for Education JobsHouse Education Chairman Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, claims Gov. Haley Barbour reacted before knowing all the details when he criticized a federal bill that will provide the state with $97 million for education, saving 2,000 teaching jobs.
Melissa DearmanBaker Elementary School is getting kids excited to read. The south Jackson elementary school recently won "School of the Year" honors from America Reads Mississippi, a literacy program that brings AmeriCorps volunteers into schools to tutor reading and increase community …
Paul TaucharJackson metro business owner Paul Tauchar considers social networking the secret of his success--but instead of only using Facebook or Twitter, he prefers actual human contact.
The Jackson Redevelopment Authority voted today to work with a developer to form a funding strategy for an automated parking garage and communal air-conditioning unit for the proposed $1.3 billion Old Capitol Green project in downtown Jackson.
Will Hegman looks over a warehouse filled with what could potentially be the future of American energy._r150x94.jpg?4c8495a16b7811ee4d4b54caa63d7c5c93ad6fd4)
The Mississippi Band of Choctaws kicked serious sun-lovin' butt this past month after taking home the overall championship in the 15th Hunt-Winston Solar Car Challenge for high-school teams.