Magnolia Bar Wants Black JudgeThe Magnolia Bar Association says it is examining the process by which Gov. Haley Barbour will select a replacement for convicted Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter this month. Bar President Gale Walker said the governor is seemingly insensitive …
Jackson Crime Stats for Aug. 10-16Jackson police reported 238 major crimes last week, according to statistics (PDF) released this morning at a Jackson Police Department command staff meeting. Last week's total represents a 10 percent increase over the previous week, but a 17 percent decrease …
Johnson to Present Budget to CouncilJackson Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. reminded Jackson City Council members at yesterday's payroll meeting that he will present his budget proposal to the council at a noon tomorrow, Aug. 19. The new fiscal year for the city begins Oct. 1, …
Hinds County Sheriff Launches Teen Driving ProgramThe Hinds County Sheriff's Department announced today the start of a teen safe-driving program aimed at reducing the number of teen deaths due to car accidents.
Fairview Inn Restaurant in JeopardyA restaurant at the Fairview Inn on Fairview Street could close to the public if a recent ruling by the Mississippi Supreme Court stands. On Thursday, the high court ruled 6-3 that a 2004 city zoning amendment allowing a public …
Zapping the Coverage GapThe Mississippi Public Service Commission is pushing a program to help phone companies focus on areas with intolerably limited cell-phone coverage. Commissioner Brandon Presley adopted the multi-state "Zap the Gap" effort in hopes of filling the coverage gaps in areas …
Warrs Say ‘Not Guilty'Former Republican Gulfport Mayor Brent Warr and his wife Laura both pleaded not guilty yesterday to four new charges of misleading loan officers on two mortgage loans in 2003, before Warr became mayor in 2005. The new indictments follow a …
Thompson Schedules Health-Care Town Hall MeetingsIn an effort to give Mississippians an opportunity to discuss the proposed health care reforms currently under debate in the U.S. Congress, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson of the state's 2nd Congressional District has scheduled a town-hall meeting in Jackson. The …
Jackson Restaurants Under New OwnershipTwo Jackson-area restaurants, Char (4500 Interstate 55 N., Suite 142) and Amerigo (6592 Old Canton Road, Ridgeland), are under new ownership, following a half year in court-appointed receivership. David Joseph, Doug Hogrefe and Paul Schramkowski finalized their purchase of the …
Council Votes ‘No' on Library Name, ‘Yes' on PayrollOn Monday, the Jackson City Council voted down an ordinance renaming the Northside public library in honor of the late Jackson Advocate publisher Charles Tisdale, and voted for the city payroll despite Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr. not providing some payroll …
Jackson Crime Stats for August 3-9Jackson saw a significant reduction in major crimes last week, according to a weekly report (PDF) released at today's Jackson Police Department command staff meeting. Jackson police reported 200 crimes from August 3 through August 9, a 25 percent reduction …
Levee Board Rescinds 2007 Flood Control ApprovalThe Rankin-Hinds Pearl Flood and Drainage Control District voted to rescind its 2007 approval for a locally preferred flood control plan yesterday, and then voted unanimously to ask the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to look at all flood control …
Jackson Schools Complete RenovationsNearly three years after the Jackson Public School District passed a $150 million bond issue for a capital improvement program to aid deteriorating infrastructure and overcrowding, renovations are complete at two Jackson elementary schools.
Court Grants Restraining Order Against JHAHinds County Chancery Court opted to grant Mississippi Housing Solutions a temporary restraining order to stop the Jackson Housing Authority from considering other bidders for development of a housing project in Jackson. The order remains in effect until an Aug. …
Andre de GruyAttorney Andre de Gruy knows that the American justice system isn't perfect. Sometimes circumstances combine to convict people who didn't commit the crimes they're accused of. As director of Mississippi's Office of Capital Defense Counsel, de Gruy and his staff …
Mississippi History Store ClosingThe state Department of Archives and History says it will close the doors of the main Mississippi History Store, Sept. 30, due to low sales. The store, located in the William F. Winter Archives and History Building, 200 North Street …
JPS Board Seeks Budget AuditsThe Jackson Public School Board chose not to approve some aspects of the school budget last night, including money for some new buses, textbooks and school nurses, citing the need for more information from the superintendent's staff. Board member Jonathan …
MBN Seeing Spike in Meth LabsDrug dealers and producers are getting smarter, says the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. The agency is seeing a rise lately in methamphetamine labs and in the numbers of cocaine investigations, reports WLBT.
Childers on GOP Hit ListThe National Republican Congressional Committee is campaigning early this season. The NRCC identified 70 Democrats to target for the 2010 election, according to an email obtained by Washington political periodical Roll Call.
Myrlie Evers-WilliamsToday, the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn., named Myrlie Evers-Williams, 76, as a 2009 National Freedom Award winner. Widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, Evers-Williams became chairwoman of the NAACP in 1995, serving for three years.
Chasing MimsyChris Mims, 34, has returned to city government, this time as director of the city's communications department. He worked as a staff member in the department in Mayor Harvey Johnson Jr.'s last administration under former department director Dorothy Triplett, who …
[Editiorial] Tutoring Privatization=Epic FailWhen Mississippi children return to school next week, money will follow them. The federal government provides Mississippi with more than $170 million to educate low-income students, with millions more for teaching students with disabilities and training teachers.
PSC Refuses Bill of Rights VoteNorthern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley lashed out at fellow commissioners Lynn Posey and Leonard Bentz after the two refused to vote on a proposed Mississippi Ratepayers' Bill of Rights at a Tuesday regular public service commission meeting.
Mayor to Study Highway 80 PotentialMayor Harvey Johnson Jr. is putting the Highway 80 corridor on his agenda this year. The mayor announced a $500,000 study of MetroCenter Mall and the U.S. Highway 80 corridor at a news conference yesterday, in the company of developers …
From A to C but where is B?Oftentimes children will explain to you that they want to change the world or impact their society without knowing how.
[Balko] The Coroners RevoltMississippi coroners attempt to defy a ban on disgraced medical examiner Steven Hayne.
Brad WhiteAs chairman of the Mississippi Republican Party, Brad White is on a mission: He's going to put a voter ID initiative on the ballot in November 2010. To accomplish that goal, he needs 100,000 signatures from registered voters by Oct. …
In a fenced-in complex of buildings sandwiched between Capitol and Amite streets, a small tutoring business is making big money.